


this bed could use a secret [and these pounding hearts could keep it]

by best_pillowtalk_ever



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Beach Trip, Drinking Games, Eventful road trip, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falice wedding, First Time, Loss of Virginity, Mentions of alcoholism, Northside Betty, Polly is a Farmie, Sexual Tension, Slowish burn?, Southside Jughead, Step-siblings, Tropes?, Truth or Dare, because don't we all, bughead - Freeform, but he's not a fuckboi, do not read if this concept bothers you, he super loves betty, it is NOT incest if they are NOT related, lots of feelings, more experienced jughead, oh my god there was only one bed, step siblings au, they didn't even grow up together, virgin Betty, yes many tropes, yes there will be smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2020-01-04 21:36:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18352190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/best_pillowtalk_ever/pseuds/best_pillowtalk_ever
Summary: He was totally fine with his dad dating the slightly alarming, blonde Northsider.He never complained about her, because she seemed to make his dad happy (for some unknown reason).He didn't even mind sleeping with headphones in on the rare occasion that she spent the night in their trailer.But, combining families and moving into her Northside mansion?Transferring to Riverdale High his senior year?Finding out that his step-sister is the most attractive girl he'd ever laid eyes on?Now, that’s a bit much.





	1. You're Looking Quite Sharp, Sugar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betty & Jughead become step-siblings their senior year of high school. Jughead grew up and went to school on the Southside and did not know Betty before this. Yes, they will obviously fall in love and get it on (in later chapters), because how could they not. Do not read if this bothers you.  
> HUGE thank you to my amazing beta, Izzy! Check her out on tumblr @bettsplusfive.

     Jughead had avoided her as much as possible. His dad's girlfriend was... intense to say the least. He didn't know much about her, other than she was some rich lady named Alice from the Northside who ran the local newspaper with two daughters, one of whom went to Riverdale High. He couldn't really figure out what this woman saw in his dad, but apparently her ex-husband was in prison. Maybe she had a type? She just had this way of talking to you with wide eyes and a manic smile that he found to be kind of alarming. So, Jughead would disappear into his room when she showed up at their trailer. He made excuses when they invited him to tag along on their outings. This arrangement was fine with him; he was happy that his dad was happy. FP had certainly cleaned up his act and stopped drinking so much since she came into the picture. How could he complain when his father, who had been single for the previous four years, had finally found love? 

     It was the end of his junior year at Southside when his avoidance strategy came to a halt. He arrived home on the last day of school, ready to take on the summer (by mostly just sleeping it away) when he found his dad and Alice at their kitchen table with beaming smiles.

     "Come here and sit down, boy. We've got a surprise for you."

     Jughead was still getting used to this new cheerful version of his father and tried to hide the annoyance in his voice when he responded, "You know I hate surprises."

     "Oh, don't worry, Jug-head," Alice responded with her trademark smile and crazy eyes. "This is a fun surprise. Sit down," she commanded as she pulled out a chair.

     He slunk down and braced himself for whatever could be coming next. 

     "We're going to the beach this weekend!" Alice told him excitedly.

     "Well, you guys have fun," Jughead responded, knowing very well that he was going to be forced into going on this trip.

     "You're coming too, boy. And Alice's daughter, Betty. We're all gonna spend the weekend getting to know each other better."

     "And why would we want to do that?" Jughead questioned his father, losing the usual polite indifference he wore around Alice.

     "It's important for us to all get along, Jug. Alice and I have been talking and-" his father glanced over and shared a smile with her as he continued, "And we think we're ready to take the next step in our relationship."

     "And that would be?"

     "We're getting married, son. This summer. Alice has offered to let us move in with her on Elm Street and you'll be able to go to Riverdale next year. It's gonna be great since you'll be applying to colleges and I have a feeling the guidance counselor there is going to be a hell of a lot more help than the one they've got at Southside. You’ve got potential, son. More than I ever had."

     Jughead sat in shock with his eyes narrowed and his mouth slightly open. "You're kidding me, right? You  can’t wait one year until I'm out of the house to do this? I have to leave all of my friends and transfer to a new school my senior year? This is such bullshit."

     "Watch your mouth, boy! Alice is kind enough to let us move into her house and you need to show her some appreciation. There will be a lot more opportunities for you on the Northside and you know that. Now, let's worry about all this later. We are going to the beach this weekend and it's going to be fun. You hear me?"

     "Whatever," Jughead responded as he walked out the door with a slam.

  
  
    A little while later, he arrived at the quarry where his friends would usually hang out in their free time. Sweet Pea, Toni, and Fangs were sitting by the water smoking and drinking beers in celebration of summer break.

  
    Toni, who was sitting on the cooler, got a can out and tossed it to him as he walked up to them. “What’s the deal with you, Jug?”

  
    “What do you mean?”

  
    “School’s out for summer. We’re gonna be seniors this year! Why do you look like someone shit in your cornflakes?”

  
    He took a deep breath. “You know how my dad has had that Northside girlfriend for a while now?”

  
    “The newspaper lady? What about her?”

  
    “Yeah, well apparently they’re getting married, and we’re moving to the Northside. Oh, and I’m going to have to transfer schools. And also, we are going on some beach trip this weekend with her and her daughter, so I’m going to miss the big party at the warehouse.”

  
    “I thought you hated going to parties?” said Fangs.

  
    “That’s beside the point!” Jughead responded in frustration.

  
    “Dude, I wanna go to the beach!” Sweet Pea unhelpfully interjected.

  
    “Well, I don’t really care for the beach and more importantly, I don’t want to have to spend my weekend with some Northside princess,” replied Jughead, who was in no mood to see the bright side of things.

  
    “That sucks, Jug!” Toni said emphatically, “I can’t believe your dad is making you transfer your senior year. I can’t run the Red and Black without you!”

  
    “How old is the daughter?” Sweet Pea asked.

  
    “I don’t know, why does that matter?” Jughead responded.  
    “Well, is she hot?”

  
    “She’s going to be my step-sister, Pea!”

  
    “So? It’s not like you’ll actually be related. I’m just saying, it would be a pretty convenient set up.”

  
    “You are disgusting. How is that the first thought that comes to your mind?” Toni asked Sweet Pea.

  
    “Okay, fine! Well, if she _is_ hot, feel free to send her my way. I know you’re morally opposed to Northsiders or whatever, but a babe is a babe to me.”

  
    “Noted. Now, can we talk about something else? Like, anything else?”

  
    “Alright, serious question. Do you think the Northside girls are as uptight and vanilla as they look? Or are they secretly wild in bed? Because, I was thinking that-”

  
    “Nope! We’re not talking about this,” Toni interrupted. “Fangs, why don’t you tell us about your new summer job?”

  
    Jughead shot Toni a grateful look and cracked open his beer. He was ready to enjoy the end of school and forget about the fact that his life was about to be turned upside down.

 

############

 

     "I don't know, V. Don't you think it's a little short?" Betty turned around in front of the dressing room mirror wearing a sundress that she definitely wouldn't be able to bend over in without giving innocent bystanders a free show. 

     "As if! Your legs are to die for, Betty. You asked for my assistance in shopping for new summer clothes because you know I am something of a fashionista, so heed my advice. Get the dress."

     Betty vividly recalled it being entirely Veronica's idea to take her shopping for a new summer wardrobe, but she figured it wouldn't make a difference if she pointed that out. "Okay, but I need summer clothes that will be appropriate for this weekend. I don't want my mom's boyfriend-slash-fiance-person and his son getting the wrong idea about me."

     "And what idea would that be? That you have legs? We have left the Victorian Ages, B. You're allowed to show your limbs. It's not a crime and it does not suggest anything negative about you as a person." 

     “I guess it’s just sort of out of my comfort zone? You know how my mom is. She’s usually the one shopping for me and her preferences are somewhat…”

     “Juvenile? Outdated? Amish?”

     “I was going to say _modest._ ”

     “Well, stop dressing for your mom! You’re seventeen! Get the dress!”

     "Alright! Alright, I'll get it. Let's move on to shorts." 

     "I knew you would see the light!" said Veronica as she clapped excitedly. "So, how are we feeling about this weekend? Excited to meet your new step-brother?"

     Betty rolled her eyes at Veronica in the mirror. She knew how much Betty was dreading having the two men join her family. "I just don't even know. It's going to be so weird. My mom said that she's going out with FP on Saturday night and leaving me with his son so that we can have some 'quality bonding time'. Like, there's no way that could be anything but  completely awkward."

     "You know what you need? Some social lubricant to break the ice."

     "Are you suggesting I get drunk with this kid?"

     "I don't know, maybe? Don't you think having a little alcohol in your systems will ease the awkwardness a bit? I'm just saying, it's probably what I would do."

     "I don't even know him. What if he doesn't drink and thinks I'm some crazy party girl for trying to get him drunk the first time we meet?"

     "Well, first of all, he's from the Southside, so even if he doesn't drink I doubt he will think much of it if you bring alcohol. Second of all, you can just play it by ear. I'll sneak some vodka from my parents' stash and you can bring it with you in case you find yourself in a situation that calls for it."

     "I will think about it," Betty responded honestly.

     "You never know, Betty. Obviously this boy is off-limits because he's going to be your step-brother, but he may have some cute Southside friends? If you guys get along, he can bring us to parties and stuff. It's our senior year! We should be making questionable life choices." Veronica bounced her eyebrows suggestively and Betty laughed in response.

     The more Betty thought about it, the more she came around to the idea and figured it wouldn't hurt to bring some alcohol even if they didn't end up drinking it. So, that was how she found herself wrapping a bottle of vodka in a bath towel as she packed her bags for their weekend trip. She also packed most of the new clothes that she had bought on her shopping spree with Veronica. With her new, slightly less innocent wardrobe and her contraband liquor, Betty was feeling like she was going to have a good start to her summer.

 

############

 

      FP parked his truck outside the house on Elm Street, which looked conspicuously out of place in the classy neighborhood. Jughead still couldn't believe that they would be moving here by the end of the summer. It may be a big, fancy house, but it would never be his home. 

     As his dad shut off the engine, he turned in his seat  and said, "Now, I want you to lose the attitude, boy. If you are anything less than polite to Alice and Betty, I will not be happy about it. You hear me?"

     Jughead opted not to respond and just rolled his eyes as he got out of the truck. He was completely dreading this weekend, trapped in a house with two stuck up Northsiders. He just knew they’d be judging everything about him- how he dressed, how he spoke, the things he said. _Better get used to it,_ he figured. He brought his laptop along with the hope that he could hide in his bedroom and work on his book.

     As they walked up the front steps, the door swung open and Alice came out to greet them each with a hug and kiss on the cheek. Jughead grimaced at the contact and gave her a tight smile.

     "Come in, come in! The car is in the garage and I left the trunk open if you want to go put your bags in there. Betty should be down in a minute- BETTY!" she abruptly called up the stairs, startling Jughead. "Sorry about her, I'm not sure what's taking her so long."

     "No worries Alice. I'll take our bags to the car and Jughead, why don't you head up to Betty's room and carry her bag down for her?"

     "Thank you, Jughead, that would be great. Just go up the stairs and her bedroom is the last door on the left."

     No one seemed to notice or care that he had in no way agreed to this plan, so he started his way up the stairs. He got to the end of the hall and knocked on the left door as instructed. 

     "Mom, I told you I'll be down when I'm ready!" she was saying as she swung the door open. 

     Jughead stared at her, completely frozen. 

     She was naked.

     Okay, technically she was in a towel. The towel was small. She was wet. Her hair was wet. Her hair was blonde. She had legs. Nice legs. His brain was slowly catching up and he realized he probably looked like the biggest creep, standing there gaping at her (amazing) form. When he met her (beautiful, green) eyes, she looked about as shocked as he was. 

     "Uh, hi. I'm sorry I thought you were my mom, but, um, clearly you aren't. So, I'm going to go put some clothes on, and then maybe we can try this again, but with clothes on."

     "Yeah, okay, I’m sorry, I didn't mean to umm-" he was trying to get a coherent sentence out, but he could feel himself blushing and words?? What are words? Why was he even here? "Oh, I'm supposed to be bringing your bag down if it's ready, but um if it's not ready don't worry about it, I'll just wait out here and-"

     "Oh, it's right here," she said while turning around to grab her flowery duffel bag from the bed and goddamn, watching her move in that towel was not doing anything to help his short-circuiting brain. "Thanks for coming to get it, uh Jughead I think my mom said your name is?"

     "Yeah, yeah it is," he responded while taking the bag from her. 

     "Okay well, thanks, Jughead." She gave him a little smile before closing the door. 

     He stood and stared at her door for a few moments, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. It was then that he remembered that this girl was going to become his step-sister very soon. He slowly made his way down the stairs, realizing just how fucked he was. 

 

############

 

     Betty opted to wear some comfy little cheerleading shorts and a tank top for the drive to the beach. She reasoned that it was totally appropriate for a long-ish car ride and had nothing to do with the fact that a very attractive boy would be sitting next to her (who had definitely just been checking her out). _He's going to be your step-brother!_ She reminded herself for what felt like the hundredth time in the past ten minutes. 

     Her thoughts were interrupted by another knock, this time more aggressive and definitely her mother's. 

     "Betty, we were supposed to leave ten minutes ago. You are being rude keeping everyone waiting! Can we get a move on please?"

     "I'm coming, mom!" she shouted as she took one last look in the mirror and rushed out of her room.

     "Honestly, Betty, I don't know what took you so long. You know I like to stick to a schedule when we are traveling. I hope this won't be a habit of yours this weekend..."

      She tuned out her mom's nagging as she followed her down the stairs and to the garage. 

      When she opened the door and took the seat behind the passenger, she exchanged an awkward glance with Jughead. He turned and stared determinedly out the window. She took the opportunity to look him over and couldn't help but notice how clothed he was in comparison to her. He had a beanie on his head, a flannel tied around his waist, and dark jeans on in spite of the summer heat. Although the air was on, it was still pretty warm in the back and she couldn't help but notice his musky scent- maybe his deodorant? Or body wash? Either way, it was doing things for her and she quickly looked away before he noticed her staring. She looked herself over and realized that maybe shorts were a terrible idea, because seriously whose thighs look great when sitting down? She readjusted her position, pulling one foot up onto the seat and leaning her knee against the car door, hoping she looked more casual than she felt. She realized this was not going to be comfortable for very long and just put her feet back on the floor, because _he's going to be your step-brother, Betty! Who cares what he thinks of your thighs??_ But, she couldn't help but worry about it anyway, because holy hell this boy was attractive. 

     Once her mother was settled in the passenger seat, FP turned around and asked as he backed out of the driveway, "Alright, kids! Who's excited for a fun weekend?"

     Betty noticed that Jughead gave his father a look that was nothing short of pure disdain, and she tried not to take it as a personal affront. Hadn't she been dreading this weekend as well? Why did it suddenly seem much more exciting? Because this kid is really hot? _He is going to be your step-brother, Betty!_  

As they got on the road, Alice and FP began discussing directions and Betty pulled out the worn copy of Pride and Prejudice that she liked to re-read, hoping to keep her mind off of the boy sitting a foot away from her.

 

############

 

      Jughead was trying not to be the world's biggest creep. He really was. On the drive, he had put in his headphones and tried his best to forget about his unfairly beautiful future step-sister on the other side of the seat. All he could smell was her goddamn shampoo. She pulled out a book and he chanced a glance over at her. Of course it was Jane Austen, because of course she has to be smart, too. He turned up his music a little louder in an attempt to distract himself. 

     When they arrived at the beach house, FP and Alice were chatting happily about their plans for the weekend. It was decided that they would get changed and take a walk up on the boardwalk that ran along the beach. Alice found the master bedroom and told FP to bring their bags in from the car, leaving Betty and Jughead to choose between the two smaller bedrooms on the other side of the house. Betty was inspecting one of the rooms when Jughead entered with her duffel bag.

     "Hey, Betty," he said quietly and she quickly turned around as if he had startled her. "Sorry to sneak up on you," he continued, "You can have whichever bedroom you want and I'll take the other. Also, I'm really sorry about earlier.."

     "Oh my gosh, no, that was not your fault. I totally shouldn't have opened the door before I knew who was there. I guess I'm going to have to get used to that."

     "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, too," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm sure it must be weird for you to have us moving into your house."

     "No, not at all!" she said quickly, then thought for a moment and continued with a small smile, "I mean yeah, it's going to be weird. But, it's not like it's your fault. And you're the one who has to transfer schools and everything. That must be awful."

     "Yeah well, I'll be fine. It definitely sucks having to leave my friends, but it means I'll be able to focus on more productive shit like applying for colleges and writing. So, that’s good, right?"

     "You write? What kind of writing do you do?"

     Jughead couldn't remember anyone ever sounding so excited and interested in his writing before, and he suddenly felt embarrassed. "Oh, I'm just sort of working on this book. It's a novel that’s kind of based on what it was like growing up on the Southside."

     "You're writing a book? That's amazing! What was it like growing up on the Southside?" 

     "Well now, _that's_ a story for another day."

     "Can I read what you've written so far? I mean, not right now, but maybe some other time?"

     "I don't know, maybe," Jughead responded feeling awkward and dreading the idea of this girl ever laying eyes on what is surely mediocre-at-best writing. "Do you know which room you want?"

     "Um, I'll take this one if that's alright with you?"

     "Yeah, that's fine. I'm just gonna go jump in the shower," he said as he walked out the door. 

     "Oh, I noticed that we have a shared bathroom between our two rooms. So, don't forget to lock both doors when you're in there."

     "You mean you don't want a repeat of earlier? I can always leave your door unlocked so you can take a peek and even the playing field." He meant for this to come off as a joke to lighten the mood, but he immediately regretted it when he saw Betty's eyes widen in surprise.

     Before he could take it back and die of embarrassment, Betty smiled and responded, "I just may take you up on that, Jones." She gave him a wink as she closed the door. For the second time that day, Jughead found himself staring and wondering what the hell he was getting himself into. 

 

############

 

     She heard the shower turn off and briefly considered knocking on the door. _What has gotten into you, Betty??_   She wasn't usually one to be flirty and forward with boys, but something about this situation had her feeling more bold than usual. Perhaps it was the fact that they couldn't actually act on it that made it feel more like a game than anything. She wasn't risking anything by putting herself out there, since it wasn't like anything could really happen between them... right?

 

     After she heard him leave the bathroom, she waited a few moments and then went in with her toiletry bag. The room was still steamy and smelled faintly of his body wash. As she showered, she tried not to imagine him naked in the same space just minutes before. She did wonder what he looked like under all of his layers and figured she would get to see for herself when they went to the beach the next day. _Stop thinking about his body, Betty._

 

     She quickly left the bathroom after she finished showering and shaving, opting to get herself ready in the bedroom which luckily had a large mirror over the dresser. She went through her clothing choices and decided on one of her new summer dresses with some strappy sandals. The dress was light and flowery with spaghetti straps and fell a few inches above her knee. She felt that it was flattering for her figure and showed off a little cleavage, but not so much that her mother would give her a hard time about it. It made her feel attractive without looking like she was trying too hard.

 

     "You kids ready to go?" she heard FP call from down the hall. She took one last look in the mirror and went out the door just as Jughead was leaving his room. She looked him over and noted that he was wearing almost the exact same outfit as earlier. He waved his arm in a way that suggested she could walk ahead of him and they made their way to the kitchen where their parents were.

     "You look nice , Betty! I'm glad you've put some effort into your appearance for once," Alice said upon seeing Betty. She turned to FP and added, "Betty hardly ever gets done up and usually just throws her hair up in a ponytail. I've told her time and time again that she needs to try a little harder if she ever wants boys to be interested in her." 

     Betty rolled her eyes. _Thanks, mom!_ , she thought bitterly. She was used to her mother's jabs, but it was always embarrassing when she made her comments in front of other people. She glanced at Jughead and couldn't help but notice that he was glaring at her mother. 

     "Well, I think you both look great!" FP said, looking between Betty and Alice. "Shall we head out to get some dinner?"

     "Yes, please," Jughead said with a tone that suggested it was long overdue, despite the fact that Betty had watched him eat an alarming amount of junk food in the car.

 

     They left the house, opting to walk up to the boardwalk for some pizza. FP held his arm out in a gentlemanly manner for Alice to hold onto, which she accepted with a smile. Betty and Jughead, who were following behind them, exchanged a glance of annoyance at their cheesiness which in turn made them both smile. It was the first time that Betty had seen a real smile from him and wow, he was beautiful. _This is going to be harder than I thought._

 

 

 

############

 

 

 

     For the first time since meeting her, Jughead was finally able to get his mind off of Betty as he bit into the piping hot boardwalk pizza. Alice was skeptical of his dad’s idea to get three large pies to share amongst the four of them, insisting that she and Betty wouldn't eat very much. Thank God his dad handled the ordering, because he was ready to inhale the entire pie in front of him. At some point he needed to come up for air and looked up to see Betty staring at him from across the table.

 

     He glanced at Alice and FP who were deep in conversation next to them, then back at Betty who was still just looking at him. "What is it? Do I have something on my face?" He grabbed a napkin and started wiping around his mouth.

     Her eyes went wide and she shook her head. "No, I am just surprised by how much pizza you can eat, to be quite honest."

     He leaned back and patted his stomach as he said with pride, "I am something of a bottomless pit, Cooper."

     "I can see that," she said with a little smile. And, just like that he was back to thinking about how beautiful this girl is. 

     "What about you? How many slices have you had?"

     "Oh, this one is my first," she said gesturing to her half-eaten slice of pizza.

     "What? Eat some more! Here, have a slice of my pepperoni. You're not a vegetarian are you?"

     "No, I'm not, I'm just-"

     At some point Alice must have started listening in on their conversation, because she suddenly interrupted saying, "We're not all blessed with your metabolism, Jug-head. It's probably for the best that Betty stops at one slice. Don't you think, dear?"

     "I was only planning on having one, mom," she said sounding annoyed.

     God, this woman was infuriating. He could normally tolerate her to a point, but he really hated how she treated Betty. Once she was distracted again by her conversation with FP, Jughead slid a slice of pizza onto Betty's plate. She looked up at him, confused.

     "Eat it," he soundlessly mouthed to her. She looked at him for a moment and then he softly knocked his foot against her leg under the table and nodded towards her plate.

     Her face broke into a big smile and took a small bite of the slice he gave her. He felt her foot move forward so that it was right beside his. They ate their pizza in silence as their parents chatted obliviously beside them and Jughead moved his leg just a bit so that their knees were leaning against each other. She quickly looked up at him with a blush and a small smile that reassured him that he hadn't just crossed a huge line and creeped her out. 

 

     As he laid in bed trying to fall asleep that night, he couldn't stop thinking about the girl in the room next to him. She was beautiful. So, so beautiful. He didn't know her that well yet, but he could tell that she was smart, and she was definitely sweet. She had been nothing but kind and welcoming despite the fact that there's no way that she could be too thrilled about him and his dad barging into her life. He was attracted to her. He was definitely, definitely attracted to her. God, why did his dad have to be marrying her mom? _We have a type_ , he supposed. The question is, what was he supposed to do about it? 

 

The best course of action would obviously be to stay away from her. Being around her and getting to know her without being able to act on his feelings would be actual torture. It would be easier if she didn't seem to have any interest in him, but hadn't she looked pleased when their legs were touching during dinner? He remembered how she blushed and smiled when he gave her his flannel to wear on the slightly chilly walk back to the house. Seriously, if they weren't in this impossible situation, he'd already be daydreaming about dating her. Which was actually really unusual for him. He couldn't remember ever feeling this attracted to someone before. Was it because she was off-limits? Or was she really just that special? In any case, he knew he wouldn't be able to stay away from her. There is no way his mature, logical side would win out against his teenage hormones. And so, he drifted off to sleep really trying not to think about her. In that little dress. In that towel. Blushing and smiling and biting her lip. Okay, yeah, he he had no self control.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we'll make use of that handle of vodka and have a Betty & Jughead heart to heart. I love feedback, so please feel free to comment!


	2. You’ve Got Some Teeth on that Stare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beach day & bonding night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you thought you saw the last of me!!! In my defense, I’ve had a baby since the last time I posted. We’ll be traveling in Ireland in December, so don’t hold your breath on chapter 3 soon, but it is in the works and hopefully won’t take as long as this update. Thank you so much to all who have commented! You the real MVPs.
> 
> Once again, a million thank yous to my beta, Izzy!! She tumbles at @bettsplusfive.
> 
> Find me on tumblr @bestpillowtalkever

     Jughead woke up slightly disoriented by how bright his room was. He looked to the wall, which was lined with windows that let in much more light than any room in the trailer. Why did these people have to have sheer curtains? According to his phone, it was a little past 9am. He rubbed his eyes and rolled out of bed in search of caffeine. 

     Making his way to the kitchen, he didn’t see or hear anyone else in the house. He found a note on the counter written on cutesy beach themed paper- 

 

    _Betty & Jughead, _

_We are going out to breakfast. Help yourselves to the bagels and fruit in the refrigerator!_

_Love,_

_Mom & Dad _

 

      _Gross,_ he thought to himself, totally weirded out by the idea of referring to the two of them as “mom and dad.” He made some coffee, assembled a plate of food, and grabbed his current read, Stephen King's "IT", to take out onto the back patio that faced the beach. He begrudgingly enjoyed his early morning solitude with some sunshine and a nice sea breeze. After finishing the chapter he was on, he put the book down and looked out over the ocean. He couldn’t help but notice a blonde jogging in nothing but little shorts and a tank top. As she turned and headed towards the beach entrance near the house, he realized that once again he had been ogling the figure of his (soon to be) step-sister. When she got close enough to notice him, she gave him a little wave. She pulled her earphones out as she slowly made her way up the steps to the patio, clearly out of breath.

     “Isn’t it really difficult to run in the sand?” he asked.

     “It’s not so bad if you stick to the hard sand near the water,” she responded with her chest heaving. She was dripping with sweat, and Jughead had all kinds of unholy images run through his mind as he involuntarily imagined some alternative scenarios where she would be half naked and sweaty. 

     While he was trying to refocus his mind ( _stop sexualizing this girl, you creep_ ) and come up with something else to say ( _quit staring at her and say words, damnit!_ ), she continued talking. 

    “Well, I’m going to run into the house for some water and I’ll probably change into my bathing suit and go jump in the ocean to rinse off. Do you want to come down to the beach with me?”

     “Uhh, sure,” he responded, despite the fact that he’d had no intentions of spending any time on the beach until that very moment. Following her into the house, Jughead silently thanked whatever gods that he packed his only bathing suit just in case.

 

############

 

     Betty rummaged through her bag and pulled out her favorite bathing suit. It was a bikini with high-waisted bottoms and a top that she personally felt presented her boobs quite nicely. The style and pattern (red with little white polka dots) had a retro 40’s vibe that kind of made her feel like Allie in _The Notebook_. She put it on and threw a little white linen cover up on over it. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, trying to rid her stomach of the butterflies and nervous energy that seemed to consume her when interacting with Jughead. She grabbed her beach bag and found him in the living room, wearing simple black swim trunks, a dark red shirt, and the hat that seemed to be permanently attached to his head. 

     “Bold move wearing a wool beanie on the beach in this heat.” She said as she approached him.

     “What can I say? I’m committed to my aesthetic.”  
    “Are you ready to go? Do you have your beach stuff?”

     “What kind of beach stuff?”

     “Um… a towel? Sunscreen? Water bottle? Sunglasses? That kind of stuff?”

     “Well, I wasn’t exactly planning on going to the beach, so I am slightly underprepared.”

     Betty responded with a skeptical look. “You knew we were spending the weekend in a beach town? In a beachfront house? Where the main activity is... going to the beach?”

     “Yeah, well I’m not much of a beach guy. I was kind of just planning to work on my novel.”

     “So, why’d you change your mind?”

     He looked at her for a moment before responding, “It would be completely irresponsible to let you swim alone. Aren’t there like.. rip currents or undertows or maelstroms or something?”

     “There are lifeguards on duty, you know,” she said, crossing her arms with a smirk.

     “Look at all the people out there, Betts!” he said, gesturing towards the half empty beach. “The lifeguard can’t possibly watch everyone at once. She could be keeping an eye on a toddler by the shore and not even notice some kraken pull you under.”

     “And how do you plan on fending off this kraken exactly?”

     “Well, I would start by alerting the lifeguard. Surely they learn the basics of sea creature combat in their training.”

     “Ah, yes, right between CPR and first aid.” 

     They smiled at each other and her chest once again felt all fuzzy and fluttery from their banter and his general cuteness. Vibing with this very attractive boy had her feeling some kind of way. It was not a very sisterly way, incidentally. She agreed to go get him one of her extra towels as he assembled a bag of snacks and they made their way down to the beach.

 

############

 

     Betty set up their spot just how she wanted with their towels laid out in front of their chairs strategically facing the sun. He wondered if any of the passersby saw them together and assumed she was his girlfriend. He couldn’t think of a less offensive assumption they could make.

     “I really think this pattern suits you, Jug,” she said with a smirk as he laid down on the pink flowery towel next to her peach one. 

     “I’m in a gang, you know. There are people who fear me,” he deadpanned. It sounded like a joke and he wished that it was. Although he loved his friends, it wasn’t exactly the life he’d would have chosen for himself if he’d had a choice. Which he definitely hadn’t. He was hoping she wouldn’t judge him for it and make all of the stereotypical assumptions about what being a gang member entails. It’s not like he was going around robbing convenience stores and selling drugs. He just did what he needed to do to survive on the Southside.

     “Are you, really?” she asked softly, sounding interested. 

     He pulled off his shirt in response, exposing the double-headed snake tattooed on his bicep. “Well, if I’d had my choice of tattoo I probably wouldn’t have gotten this one.”

     She reached out and ran her fingers over it, raising goosebumps on his arm in spite of the heat. He took this as a positive sign that she wasn’t totally freaked out. “What would you have gotten? If it had been up to you?” 

     “I’m not sure. Maybe a phoenix?”

     “Like… the bird from Harry Potter?” she asked teasingly. 

     “Okay, the Phoenix is a really cool mythological creature that predates Harry Potter by thousands of years and represents rebirth and transformation, I’ll have you know.”

     “There’s no need to get defensive about your imaginary Harry Potter tattoo, Jug.” 

     “You’d better watch it, miss, or I’m not even going to try to stop the kraken when he comes for you.”

     “When it comes for me? You don’t even like the beach. I could outswim you easily. I’ll be halfway back to the shore by the time it’s got you in it’s tentacles.”

     “Are you kidding me? With your skinny little arms? There’s no way.”

     “Prove it. Let’s race to the buoy,” she said tilting her head toward the orange buoy bobbing in the water. 

     “You wanna swim to that buoy? It’s halfway out to sea!” 

     “It’s not even that far! See? You are totally kraken food.”

     “Oh, you’re on,” he said standing up and kicking off his flip flops. 

     Betty jumped up a beat later, throwing off her dress and sunglasses as she darted towards the water.

    “Oh no, you don’t!” He yelled, chasing after her. He easily caught up, picked her up by the waist and put her in the sand behind him as he kept running. 

     “That’s cheating!” she squealed in response. 

     “It’s not cheating! It’s a tactic. There’s a difference.” As the water got deeper, he slowed down trying to wade through. Betty got the upper hand as she ran past him and dove into the waves. She came up for air as he tried to catch up. He was about chest deep, but she had to tread water because she was a bit shorter. 

     “Okay, you were right. That buoy is pretty far out. I think we can agree that I am the superior swimmer, though.” 

     “I think we can agree that I am way stronger and could easily toss your small body at any ocean predators.”

     She laughed, “Okay, okay. Let’s agree to disagree and hope there’s nothing lurking in the deep.”

     He just looked at her for a few moments and then squeezed her leg beneath the water. She let out a panicked shriek and then smacked his arm when she realized it was him. They had let the waves push them closer to the shore, so Betty put her feet down to stand. It was his first time really seeing her in her swimsuit and he was summoning all of his self control to maintain eye contact and not give her body a once over. He failed (obviously) and let his eyes dart down to take in her figure. She must have noticed because she quickly crossed her arms, covering most of the skin that was exposed by her bikini (and bringing his attention to her truly exquisite breasts). The idea that she was self conscious about her body was absolutely outrageous. He wished he could tell her as much, but there’s no way he could think to word it without potentially sounding like a creep.

     “I think this is my first time seeing your hair,” she said, breaking the silence. 

     “Yeah, the hat kind of lives on my head.” He ran his hand through his hair self consciously.

     “I’ve noticed.” She seemed to sense his awkwardness about the stupid hat he was emotionally attached to for some reason he hasn’t felt the desire to psychoanalyze. 

“I mean I like your hat, it actually really suits you. Not that I don’t like you _without_ the hat! You have great hair. I mean…” she seemed flustered by her own rambling, “I’m going to stop talking now.”

     He smiled at her. “Thanks, Betty.” Feeling emboldened by her own admission, he added, “I like your swimsuit.” It seemed like a pretty safe compliment and he figured it had been a good choice when she looked down with a little smile and blushed. 

     Just then their moment was interrupted by the call of her mother from the beach. She was standing next to his dad and waving to them. With a jolt he remembered that the universe was out to get him and this was all a cruel tease. It was so easy to forget their situation when it was just the two of them. With the arrival of their parents, the fantasy dissipated and he was thrown back into reality. 

 

############

 

     Spending time with Jughead was significantly less enjoyable with their parents present. Her mother, specifically. They resumed their awkward aloof relationship, listening to Alice and FP’s flirty interactions and only joining in the conversation when being directly addressed by an adult. They spent most of the afternoon reading their books and taking trips down to the water when they started getting too hot. After the snacks and lunch that Betty packed had run dry, Jughead declared that he was officially done with the beach and was ready to head in. Betty was also satisfied with the amount of time that she had spent on the beach and decided to go back with him, not particularly wanting to third wheel their parents. 

     He carried her bag up to the house, because of course he would, and he told her she could take ae shower first. She scrubbed herself clean of all the sand and salt, using extra conditioner on her hair to keep it from drying out. Her thoughts drifted to the Smirnoff hidden in her bag. Her mom had reminded them that they were on their own tonight, as she and FP would be going out together. Jughead offered to run up to the boardwalk to get more pizza for their night in. Her mom balked at the suggestion of Betty having pizza two nights in a row, so he begrudgingly agreed to get a salad for her as well. This brought her back to the vodka.

     She could forget about it. They could have a perfectly nice evening eating pizza, watching Netflix, and going to bed at a reasonable hour. Or… Well, she supposed they could live a little. I mean, maybe he wouldn’t even want to drink? He could shoot her down and that’s that. Or, maybe he’d want to? She really likes talking to him. If they were to hang out and loosen up a little, it could be fun. Really fun. Well, she figured it was worth a shot. 

    After getting out of the shower, she dried off before knocking on Jughead’s door to let him know she was done in the bathroom. On her way out, she drew a smiley face on the steamed up mirror like she used to when she shared a bathroom with Polly.

     She debated her clothing options. They were staying in, so she wanted to keep it casual but also look cute. Pulling out her new summer clothes, she selected some denim shorts with a white spaghetti strap flowy top. She laid on the bed and shot off a few texts to Veronica, letting her know that the trip was going well and that her soon to be step-brother ( _ugh_ ) was actually pretty cool.

    It didn’t take long to hear Jughead’s knock, alerting her that the bathroom was free. She went in to brush her teeth and smiled when she saw that he had added a little crown resembling his beanie to her smiley face on the mirror. She felt emotional all of a sudden when she realized how nice it would be to have a friend in her house again. After the harrowing incident that had landed her father in prison and the absence of her Farmie sister, it had been a long and lonely time of just her and her mother in the house.

     After brushing her teeth and hair, she went back into her room to put some moisturizer on her face and her favorite scented lotion on her body. She heard a knock on the door and called, “Come in!” 

     Jughead opened the door tentatively (as he always has since The Incident) and leaned on the doorframe, crossing his arms. “I was just gonna head up to get the pizzas. Any topping requests?”

     “Oh, I’m fine with just a salad.”

     “I’m sure you’re fine with just a salad, but do you want just a salad? If you do, I will go against my better judgment and get it for you. But, if you just want salad for some stupid reason like _calories_ or whatever then I’m going to have to put my foot down and demand that you get pizza.”

     She laughed at how serious he was about this. “How about I get a salad and I promise you I’ll also eat a slice of your pizza?”

     “Deal,” he responded, seeming satisfied. “What kind do you want?”

     “Oh, it doesn’t matter to me. Get whatever you want since you’ll be eating most of it anyway.”

     He gave her a pointed look that suggested this was an unacceptable answer. 

     “Okay, fine.” She tried to think of what kind he would probably want and said, “Do they have some sort of meat lovers pizza? Like with pepperoni and sausage and bacon or something?”

     He smiled, biting on his bottom lip and just looked at her a moment before responding, “Yeah, Betts. I bet they do.” He nodded at her and backed out of the room, presumably to call in their order.

     She laughed to herself and got up to put on her sandals and meet him in the kitchen. 

     “...Okay, yeah and I also want a salad. But like a really big salad with tomatoes and cheese and stuff.” He caught her eye and smiled as he continued talking on the phone, “Throw some bacon in there, too. But not those fake little bacon bits, I want the real stuff you put on the pizzas.” He paused for a moment, listening on the phone, before asking Betty, “What kind of dressing do you want?”

     “Ask if they have light Italian.”

     He rolled his eyes and asked, “Do you have _light_ Italian? Okay yeah, throw in an extra one just in case.” He winked at her. “Alright, thanks. Do you guys have liters of soda?... Okay, that’s alright. Yeah, that’ll be it.”

     After he finished up his phone call, they walked up to pick up their food together, stopping at a convenience store on the way back to get him a soda and her a lemonade (she figured it would be a good mixer for the vodka, should they decide to drink it). 

     They ate on the back porch as the sun went down, enjoying the cool breeze that took the edge off the summer heat. He was so easy to talk to and they never seemed to run out of topics of conversation, despite their seemingly very different lives. It turns out they both ran their schools’ newspapers, so they exchanged stories of interesting or illegal things they’d uncovered during investigations for articles. He’d mentioned a girl named Toni a lot in his stories and she made a mental note to try and figure out if she was just a friend or something more. As it got darker, they started getting bit by mosquitos and decided to head inside. 

 

############

     

 **Toni:** How is your weekend with the evil stepsister going?

 **Jug:** Actually… surprisingly well.

 **Toni:** Oh no, they’ve got you drinking the Northside kool aid?? Try not to forget about us when you’re sipping champagne and playing croquet. 

 **Jug:** I could never forget about you, Topaz. I don’t think you’d let me.

 

He wondered if this vacation was to Opposite Town on Backwards Day because for some reason he was actually enjoying the beach and this preppy little Northsider. If he had seen her around town, he’d probably judge her for her perfect face and perfect hair and perfect clothes and perfect smile, thinking she was some privileged little stuck-up brat. But she really just… wasn’t. She was interesting. And funny. And thoughtful and kind and complex. She didn’t seem to look down on him or really care at all that he was from the Southside and a Serpent. Her mother was as awful as he thought she’d be, but living with her wouldn’t be so bad if he got to hang out with Betty all the time. Not that she’d even want to hang out with him, surely she has some cooler friends she’d rather be with. But, with them living together and going to the same school, they’d still end up seeing each other a lot.

     After they came in and cleaned up their dinner, Betty disappeared to her room and came out a minute later with a bottle of liquor in her hand.

     “Betty Cooper!,” he said, genuinely surprised “Where did you get that from? Surely your mother did not approve that purchase.”

     “So, I was telling my friend Veronica about our… situation and she thought it might help us to break the ice and get to know each other if we drank a little bit, you know? Just to make it less awkward. Not that it’s been awkward! I mean, we had this conversation before I met you. But, anyway, we don’t have to drink it, I don’t even know if you drink, so it’s totally fine if-“

     “Betty,” he said, cutting off her rambling. He took the bottle out of her hand, opened it, and took a swig. “I think it’s a great idea.”

     “Yeah?”

     “Hell yeah.”

     “Okay, I’m going to mix mine with lemonade, I can make one for you too?”

     “Sure, just don’t tell my friends.”

     “What’s wrong with vodka lemonade?”

     “Some would consider it a girly drink, but luckily my masculinity is not threatened by beverages.”

     She laughed, like she always did at his stupid jokes that none of his friends really appreciated (except sometimes Toni). 

     “Well, let’s take this party to my room. My mom texted and said they were going out after dinner to see some local band play at a bar and we shouldn’t wait up for them.”

     He followed her back to her room briefly worrying about his dad going to a bar. He’d tried to avoid them as much as possible since he stopped drinking. But, he was with Alice and he’d been sober for a few years now, so it probably wasn’t a big deal.

     Betty sat on her bed with her back against the headboard and Jughead sat kind of facing her, leaned against the wall that the bed was next to with his legs crossed.

     “Okay, so Veronica was thinking we should play a game like ‘Truth or Dare’ or ‘Never Have I Ever.’”

     “Well, if Veronica says so, then we’d better do it.”

     She blushed, looking embarrassed, so he quickly added, “I’m just teasing you, Betty. I think that’s a great idea. Let’s start with Never Have I Ever. I need to drink a little bit before I start spilling all my truth.”

     “Okay, how do you want to play? Just like drink every time you’ve done something? Or should we do the thing where we put five fingers up and you have to finish your cup when you’re out?”

     “I’m going to go ahead and make a bold assumption that you’re a total lightweight, so let’s just drink and not worry about chugging the cup.”

     “Okay, yes, you make a good point. Would you like to go first?”

     “Uh, sure. Never have I ever… gone to Northside High.”

     “Oh, come on, that is so lame!” She said before drinking. 

     “What? I haven’t!”

     “Okay, fine, never have I ever… been in a gang.”

     He laughed and asked, “How is that any better?”

     “Oh, shut up and drink!”

     He did. “Never have I ever had a boyfriend.” 

     He looked at her expectantly, but she didn’t drink. “Me neither,” she said quietly. He didn’t mean to make her feel embarrassed, because how in the world has no one dated this girl?

     “Huh. You must be picky, then.”

     “I’m not! I mean, a few boys have been interested but they just weren’t… my type I guess. I just feel like at Riverdale the boys are either dumb jocks or socially awkward nerds. I mean, I’m generalizing, obviously, but it’s kind of a small school and there’s just no one there who I’d really be interested in.”

     That made sense. Jughead’s experience at Southside High was admittedly pretty similar. “So you’ve never had a crush on anyone?”

     “Hey! This isn’t Truth or Dare and it isn’t your turn. Never have I ever had a girlfriend.”

     He didn’t really count the few weeks he dated Toni sophomore year as a real relationship, but he did refer to her as his girlfriend. So, he drank. 

     “Never have I ever… left the state.” He said, going for a more neutral question.

     “What? Never? We’ll have to fix that this year.” She drank. “Never have I ever… been in a fight. Like a fist fight.” 

     He drank. 

     “Have you been in a lot of fights?”

     “I thought you said this wasn’t Truth or Dare,” he deflected. 

     She shrugged. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

     “I mean, I don’t want you to think I’m like a bully or I go around picking fights with people. Southside is just… you have to defend yourself. You have to show people that you won’t take their crap. If you don’t stand up for yourself, there are people who will take advantage of that. Especially guys from rival gangs. I hate it. I have really hated living like that. Don’t get me wrong, I am not happy about leaving my friends senior year, but it will be so nice to go to school and not have to worry about all that shit. And it makes me feel guilty because I won’t be there to defend my friends and younger Serpents who need me to stand up for them.” He took a deep breath, feeling better for having unloaded all of those feelings that had been weighing on his conscience. 

     “Jughead, that is really heavy. I am so sorry that you’ve had to deal with that. Thank you for sharing that with me.” She slid her hand over to cover his and held it for a moment. 

     “Sorry for making this game turn really dark there,” he said with a smile. 

     “It’s okay. That’s the point, right? Getting to know each other? I want to know everything about you. Even the dark stuff.” 

     He held her gaze and his chest felt really full and he realized how much he could really love this girl. They’d only known each other for two days, so obviously he didn’t _actually_ love her. He felt like a sap for even thinking the word, but now that the thought was there, he couldn’t make it go away. 

     “Okay, moving on.” Trying to shift the mood back to something lighter, he said, “Never have I ever been to a school dance.”

     “What? Okay, you are definitely coming to one this year. You can’t graduate high school without ever having gone to a dance.” 

     “Ugh, no, it’s not really my _style._ ”

     “Oh, please, your image will survive one homecoming dance with a shirt and tie and a stereotypical awkward slow dance.”

     “And who am I going to go with? I don’t even know anyone at Riverdale.” 

     “Uh, how about me?,” she said as if it were obvious. “It’s not like I have anyone to go with. Usually I’m just third wheeling Veronica and her boyfriend.”

     “Would I be allowed to?”

     “What do you mean?”

     “I mean, would your mom let me take you? Since I’ll be like... your step-brother by then?”

     “Oh, I…” she looked genuinely confused. “I actually completely forgot about that for a minute. Yeah, I suppose that would be weird.” 

     Why. Why did he bring it up. He tried to backtrack, “Actually, who cares, right? It’s not like we’re actually related. And we didn’t grow up together or anything. We literally just met. There wouldn’t be anything weird about going to a dance together.”

     “Yeah, I suppose,” she said, still looking crestfallen. “Maybe I can help you find another girl from Riverdale to go with.” 

     Horrifying. Terrible idea. “Yeah, sure, whatever you think.”

     “Okay, yeah. Great. Well, never have I ever…” she stopped and laughed. “Okay, I was going to say never have I ever kissed a girl but then I remembered that I actually have.”

     “What?!” He said, absolutely delighted. “Please feel free to share as much information about the incident as you’d like.”

     “Okay, it’s really not that exciting. When Veronica moved to town at the beginning of sophomore year, we decided to try out for the River Vixens. She wanted to… make our audition memorable I guess? So, she just grabbed me and kissed me in front of everyone.”

     “Was it like… just a peck, or…” he didn’t want to sound like a total Neanderthal looking for some content to jack off to later, but…

     “I’d say it was… more than a peck, but no tongue or anything.”

     “Okay. Okay. That is very cool. Thank you for sharing, Betty.”

     She laughed and whacked his arm. “Oh, shut up!”

     He was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol and he could tell she was too. More so than him, due to her smaller size.

     “Okay. Never have I ever… gone skinny dipping.”

     He drank and she looked surprised. “Really?? Where?”

     “Down at the quarry that’s in the Southside.”

     “Who were you with?”

     “Just some other Serpents. We were drinking and one thing led to another, I guess.”

     “Hm. Interesting.”

     “We could always go take a dip in the ocean tonight, Cooper?” He said in a way that could be a joke, but definitely wasn’t if she was game. 

     “Oh my gosh, no way!”

     “I’m just saying, it’s actually pretty fun. It feels very… exhilarating.”

     “I’m sure it does. Your turn.”

     “Fine. Never have I ever kissed a boy.”

     Again, Betty didn’t drink. “How? How is that possible?” _Seriously, what is wrong with the boys at Riverdale?_

     She shrugged, “Well, I mean I told you that I’ve never had a boyfriend.”

     “You don’t have to be in a relationship to kiss someone.”

     “I know that. I just… I don’t really know.” She looked down at her half empty cup and drank the rest of it.

     “Slow down, hot shot. I don’t want to have to hide the sound of you puking tonight from your mom.”

     “Yeah, that would not be good.”

     “Betty, you should know that-”  
  
     “Stop. I don’t need you to patronize me and give me some pep talk about how stupid boys are. I’m seventeen, I’ve never been kissed by a boy, it is what it is. Let’s move on.” 

     “Okay. Do you want to switch to Truth or Dare?”

     “Yeah, sure. Truth or dare?”

     “Dare.”

 

############

 

     Thinking of a good dare is literally the worst part of playing Truth or Dare. And who picks dare first anyway? You always warm up with a few truths. What she’d like to dare him to do is take off his shirt, but she didn’t want to make it weird if that is not the direction he wanted this to go. 

     “Umm… How about… I dare you to let me wear your hat.”

     He smiled, took off his hat, and tenderly put it on her head. “It looks good on you,” he said as he ruffled his hair a bit.

     “Thanks. Your turn.”

     “Okay, truth or dare?”

     “Truth.”

     He paused to look at her for a moment as he thought of what to ask. “Back to my question from earlier. Have you ever had a crush on anyone?”  
    “Why are you so concerned about my love life?” While she was embarrassed that her dating history was so lame, she didn’t mind the fact that he was so interested in it. 

     “I’m just trying to figure you out, Cooper.”

     “Okay, I mean I have obviously taken notice of cute boys before. But, the only person that I’ve actually had a crush on is my neighbor Archie-”

    “Archie Andrews? I didn’t realize you lived next door to him.”

     “Yeah, how do you know him?”

     “My dad worked for Andrews Construction when I was a kid. I could see that, though. He seems like your type.”

     “Well, that’s what I thought too, but it turns out he is absolutely not my type. He’s dating my friend Veronica now. They sort of have an on and off thing. But, even if he weren’t I don’t think I could ever be attracted to him romantically.” 

     “So, what is your type?” He asked as he stretched his arms and twisted his back.

     “Here, do you want a pillow?”

     “Sure,” he said taking it and putting it behind his back. He then picked up her legs and stretched his out under them, putting hers back down so that her calves were resting across his knees. “Sorry, I couldn’t sit with my legs crossed anymore,” he said by way of explanation. 

     “Oh, it’s okay. I guess my type is… intellectual for sure. Archie is sweet, but there are so many topics that I can’t really talk to him about because he just doesn’t really care I guess. But, not like a really nerdy kind of intellectual. This kid Dilton has asked me out a few times, but he’s just kind of socially awkward. I don’t like guys who are super jacked like they live at the gym. Hair color or height or things like that don’t really make a difference to me. Definitely needs to be someone that can make me laugh. I feel like when I meet the right person we’ll just click and it will feel right and we’ll just know, you know?”

     “I do.” He was looking at her very intently. 

     “Have you ever felt that way?” 

     “Have you?”

     Neither of them responded. Was it just her, or was the room getting really hot? Jughead seemed to be feeling it to, because he took off his flannel.

     “Okay, let’s get back to the game. I feel like I just answered five truths. Truth or dare?” 

     “Truth.”

     “Tell me about your girlfriend.” 

     “ _Ex-_ girlfriend,” he clarified. He rested his hand on her calf and started moving his thumb absentmindedly as he spoke. “Well, we’ve been friends our whole lives. Her name’s Toni, she’s actually the only girl in my friend group. And I guess it’s like you and Archie where we realized we weren’t really attracted to each other, except we actually tried dating first. We were fifteen and the whole thing was just sloppy and awkward from start to finish. It only lasted a few weeks.”

     “Did you have sex with her?”

     “No. We did some stuff, but not everything. She once referred to it as a PG-13 grope fest.”

     She laughed at that, relieved that they hadn’t had sex when it shouldn’t really make a difference. 

     “Have you ever had sex since then?”

     “No. I’ve fooled around with a few girls at parties, but I haven’t gone all the way.”

     “How far have you gone?”

     “Okay, now who’s asking for five truths?”

     “Sorry, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

     “Well, I’m trying to think of how to word this as delicately as possible. I have been on the receiving end of oral sex. I’ve used my hand to get a girl off, I think, unless she was faking it, which wouldn’t surprise me because I’ve only done it once and there’s no way it was anything spectacular.”

     They both laughed at that. At some point his hand had drifted higher on her leg and was now resting just above her knee. The combination of the alcohol and his close proximity was turning her on more than anything she had ever experienced. 

     “That’s something I worry about. What if I’m really bad at it?”

     “Bad at what?”

     “Like, sex-related activities. When someone finally wants to hook up with me, I’m going to have no clue what I’m doing.”

     “Betty,” he started, giving her a look so soft it almost hurt. “I really don’t think you need to worry about that. I’m sure you’ll be a natural, first of all. And second, anyone who would judge you for not being an expert your first time is an asshole. Whoever gets to be your first is a lucky son of a bitch. And I hope he knows that.”

     “You’re really sweet, Jughead.”

     “I mean it, Betty.”

     “I know you do.”

     Again, they sat looking at each other for a heated moment.

     “Betty?”

     “Yeah?”

     “Truth or dare?”

     “Dare.”

     “Let’s go skinny dipping.”

 

############

 

     They waited until their parents went to bed. Shortly after the decision had been made (with a lot of convincing on Jughead’s part), Alice texted Betty to let them know they were on their way home. They cleaned up all evidence of their alcohol consumption and brushed their teeth for good measure. Once they were certain their parents were asleep, they snuck out to the beach bringing only towels with them. 

     “Okay, how are we doing this?” She asked when they got down to the beach. She looked a little nervous, but mostly excited.

     “I think it’s pretty self-explanatory, Betts.”

     She gave a giddy laugh. “Okay, okay! I’ll turn around and you can go in first. But, don’t look back at me once you’re in there! Okay?”

     “Yes, ma’am.”

     “Okay.”

     “Okay.”

     She turned around as he took off his hat and clothes and threw them onto the towel. He ran in and was shocked by how cold the water was. It felt amazing when the sun was beating down in the middle of the day. Now, it just felt like he’d run into a half-frozen lake. 

     When he was about chest deep, Betty yelled, “Okay, don’t turn around! I’m coming in!” He heard the water splashing as she came in and she squealed, “Oh my God! It’s freezing! Why didn’t you warn me?!”

     “It’s not bad once you’re in all the way and get used to it,” he called back to her.

     “It’s so cold! I can’t do it!”

     “What?! You have to come in all the way! I promise you it is so much better the deeper you get.”

     “Okay, fine! I’m coming!” She squealed some more as she made her way up to where he was, just past where the waves were breaking. 

     “You can look now.”

     He turned to see just her head and the tops of her shoulders above the water. She looked absolutely stunning in the moonlight. He wished he had his camera to capture this moment. He couldn’t help but say something, because it would be a travesty not to.

     “You are so beautiful, Betty.”

     “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

     If she was any girl, any other girl in the whole world, this would be hands down the absolute perfect moment to kiss her. He would kiss her and hold her and touch her waist beneath the water. He’d lead her back to the shore where he’d lay her down on a towel and…

     But, she wasn’t. She wasn’t any other girl. She was going to be his step-sister. They were going to be living with each other. And this couldn’t happen. So instead, he did nothing. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Angel, We Are So Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead picks Betty up from the airport.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory note about how what was originally one chapter has been split into two. It was getting monstrous and there are some Events that will transpire in what is now chapter four that I don’t want to be rushed. Thus, we are left with this chapter that’s a bit on the limp side.
> 
> Thank you thank you to my faithful beta Izzy (@bettsplusfive) and also KJ (@nurseholliday) for giving me invaluable feedback on this fic.
> 
> Find me on tumblr @bestpillowtalkever

     “How’s the Northside treating you, Jug? Has Newspaper Lady signed you up for golf lessons yet?”

     “Do you have a housekeeper now? I’ve heard a lot of them have housekeepers. Not all of them, but like a lot of them.”

     “You gonna join the football team this year? Gonna trade in your leather for a letterman jacket?”

     “How good is your tap water? I drank tap water from a house on the Northside once, and I swear it tasted how I imagine those fancy Fiji waters taste.”

     Sweet Pea and Fangs had been giving him a hard time since he’d moved into the house on Elm Street. They were currently in Fangs’ basement, playing Mario Kart. 

     “Come on, guys. It’s not like he  _ wanted  _ to move to the Northside,” Toni defended. He felt kind of guilty because he didn’t exactly hate his new living situation as much as he thought he would. 

     He’d moved into Polly’s old room not long after their beach trip, a few days after Betty left for a summer internship in California. It was odd living in her house, using her bathroom, eating her mom’s cooking, without her there. But, he had to admit it was nice to have his own room instead of a dingy trailer couch.

     “It’s not ideal, but I’m trying to make the best of it. I just feel like an awkward guest in someone else’s house. I pretty much just hide in my room when I’m there.”

     “But, hey, at least you have a room now! Moving up in the world, Jones,” Toni said, clapping him on the back.

     “Yes, I’m really living the dream now, guys,” he said sarcastically.

     “Are you working on Friday?” Toni asked. “We were talking about doing something for Joaquin’s birthday.”

     “I am actually going to be busy. The wedding is this weekend”

     “This is so lame. You can never hang out with us anymore,” Sweet Pea complained. “You too good for us now, Northside?”

     “I got a job, Pea! And I can’t exactly get out of this wedding, as much as I’d like to.” He actually wouldn’t like to. It was the first time he’d be seeing Betty since the beach trip and he hated how much he was looking forward to it.

     “Can we be invited to the wedding?” Asked Fangs. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to one.”

     “It’s actually all the way in New Hampshire.”

     “Wow. Newspaper Lady  _ would _ have a fancy wedding in New Hampshire. I bet it’s going to be so lame,” Sweet Pea commented.

     “Ooh, take me as your date!” Toni said as she put her arm around his shoulders.

     “Uh… I think the guest list and everything is finalized already.”

     “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to ask!”

     “Okay, I will.” 

     He wouldn’t. He recognized that it was absolutely ridiculous that he was hoping to get some alone time with his step-sister. Even if he lived in some superior alternate universe where she was not his step-sister, the fact remained that she was so out of his league they weren’t playing the same sport. But, apparently he was a glutton for punishment. 

     “Shoot, sorry guys,” he said, checking his phone. “I gotta run before I miss curfew.”

     “Curfew?” They exclaimed exclaimed in startling unison. 

     “Who even are you?” Asked Sweet Pea, sounding disgusted. 

     “I’ve only been there a few weeks, I’m not trying to rock the boat yet. If I come in hot, breaking all the rules, they’re gonna bring the hammer down.”

     “You’re a smart man, Jones,” said Toni as he made his way up the stairs. “Don’t let the Northsiders get you down!”

     As he walked in the house, he overheard Alice talking to his dad in the kitchen. He went in to get a snack to bring up to his room. 

     “... and did I tell you I got a phone call from the wedding planner this morning? Apparently there was a snafu with the florist and they won’t have enough roses for the centerpieces. The wedding is in four days! I can’t believe they would mix this up given how much money we are paying them. I’m telling you right now, FP, this will be reflected in the review I leave for them online. I spoke to Betty and she suggested switching to peonies. Peonies! I wish it weren’t such a pain to get ahold of Polly, because she would have a much more reasonable opinion.” 

     She noticed Jughead at that point and greeted him, “Oh, hello, Jughead. I cut some fresh fruit. There’s a tupperware in the fridge and you’re welcome to help yourself.” 

     “ Anyway,” she continued, addressing his father, “I’d like to get as many roses as we can and then add another flower to fill out the arrangements, but I just can’t decide which would go best. Not peonies,  _ obviously.  _ What do you think, dear?”

     “Oh, well…” he could see the gears turning in his dad’s head as he tried to think of an appropriate answer for his fiancée. “What about those tiny little white flowers that go with roses?”

     “Baby’s breath? Of course there’s going to be baby’s breath. That’s a filler. I need another type of flower that will compliment the roses.”

     “Oh, right. Hold on a minute.” He got on his phone, presumably to research flowers that go with roses that are not peonies. 

     It was still strange and surreal to see this side of him, even after living with Alice for the past month. His dad is a former gang leader. He’d seen him knock men out cold with a single hit. He’d seen him passed out drunk after three day benders. He’d seen him with a gun held to his head by rival gang members. Googling flower arrangements was a new one.

     “What about lilies?” He asked, sounding apprehensive.

     “Now, that could work! Yes, I think that would look very elegant. Thank you, FP. I’ll call her back now.” She gave him an appreciative kiss on the cheek and he smiled. 

     Jughead wordlessly excused himself, grabbing a bag of Doritos and heading upstairs. He was really happy for his dad, but it didn’t make the situation any less weird. 

    His new room was about half the size of their old trailer. The white furniture had been Polly’s, but the pink drawer handles had been replaced with blue ones. Alice took him to a Pottery Barn and he picked out a dark, plaid bedspread which was very overpriced in his opinion. She was intense and overbearing, but she did seem to be making an effort to make him feel at home, which he appreciated. She honestly seemed to be nicer to him than she was to Betty. 

_ Betty.  _ He’ll admit it, he peeked in her room once when he was home alone. He wasn’t sure if it was a huge invasion of privacy, but in a moment of weakness and curiosity he just had to take a look.  _ It’s not creepy just to see what it looks like,  _ he rationalized to himself.  _ It’s not like I’m going to go through her drawers.  _ It was essentially what he was expecting- clean, and pretty, and smelling like her girly perfume or something. She had pictures with her friends, some including Archie Andrews, but he didn’t recognize the rest of them. 

     He’d be seeing her again in a few days when he picked her up from the airport. His dad and her mom were leaving on Thursday so they’d have a day to relax before the wedding. Betty’s flight from California was scheduled to arrive on Friday morning, so he was tasked with retrieving her and driving the four hours to the hotel/wedding venue which was on a lake in New Hampshire.

     He wasn’t nervous about it per se, but he would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit he was slightly anxious. What would they talk about? What music should he put on? Would she like his music? Was it going to be awkward? Probably no to the last question if their beach trip was any indication. But, that was over a month ago, which was enough time to start second guessing everything.

 

############

 

     Betty stepped off the plane, looking for signs that would direct her to the luggage claim. Her first flight had been delayed which then caused her to nearly miss her connecting flight in Phoenix. She was jet lagged and hungry, especially since these cheap flights didn’t come with meals included. She stepped into one of the crowded bathrooms and waited in line. Upon relieving herself she looked down and  _ of course. _ Her period had started while she was on the plane. She had some pads and tampons, but they were tucked away in her checked suitcase. She rolled up a wad of toilet paper to use temporarily and went back on her hunt for the baggage claim. Checking her phone, she realized she had a text from an unknown number. 

 

**Unknown** : Hey, it’s Jughead. I wasn’t sure if you needed help with your bags, so I just parked and I’m waiting by baggage claim F.

 

_    Oh, thank God _ , she thought to herself, relieved that getting her oversized suitcase off the conveyor belt was once less thing to worry about. She didn’t respond, figuring she could just thank him when she saw him in a few minutes. 

     She made her way through the airport down to baggage claim F, where she found Jughead waiting in his signature flannel and beanie. As soon as he noticed her, he started walking her way. 

     “Hey, California girl. Let me get that for you,” he said indicating her carry-on bag. She was just tired and hungry and stressed enough that she dropped her bag on the ground and threw her arms around his neck. 

     “I’m sorry,” she choked out as she involuntarily started crying on him. “I’ve just been really stressed out this whole summer, it’s been  _ so hard  _ and lonely and my boss was so  _ mean  _ and then this morning my Uber driver was  _ late  _ and then my flight was delayed so I didn’t have time to eat during my layover and I’m so  _ hungry  _ and I’m tired and I couldn’t sleep on the plane and my  _ period  _ just started and I don’t even have any tampons because they’re in my suitcase and you’re just so  _ nice  _ coming in to help me and I don’t mean to be crying right now I just can’t help it.” With that, a fresh wave of tears came over her and he pulled her back into a hug. 

     “Hey, hey it’s okay,” he said softly as he pet her hair in a way that probably should have been awkward, but wasn’t. “I uhh… can’t help you with all of those things, but I bet you’ll feel better once we get some food and you sleep in the car?”

     “Yeah, that sounds good,” she agreed. She knew she’d feel embarrassed by this episode later, but in that moment she couldn’t find it in herself to care.

     Just then, the luggage carousel came to life and started spitting out suitcases. She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her sweatshirt. 

     “What does your bag look like?” He asked.

     “Pink with white flowers.”

     “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

     She gave a watery chuckle. “My mom picked it out.”

     “Also, not surprising.”

     As they waited for her bag, he asked her more about her journey. She told him about the smelly manspreader who sat next to her on her first flight and the chatty lady on the second, who was perfectly nice but kept her from taking a much needed nap. At one point he stepped in to help an older man who was struggling with his large suitcase, because of course he would.

     Then, the bags stopped coming out. Hers was nowhere in sight. She turned to look at him and he seemed to already sense her impending panic. 

     “I bet you there was just a little mix up. Let’s go find the lost luggage office and figure it out.”  _ Thank God for you,  _ she thought for the second time. 

     She followed him to the office, where they got in the line of disgruntled, luggage-less people. She realized she should probably change her makeshift toilet paper pad, so she told him she needed to use the restroom.

     “Don’t you need a… something for your period?”

     “Yeah, but I don’t think I can get back to the convenience stores without going through security.”

     “Do you wanna just ask one of the ladies in line?”

     She looked down the line and then back at him with an expression that seemed to convey her apprehension. 

     “Excuse me, do any of you have a tampon or something that she can use?” He said, addressing the people in line. A few women started rummaging through their purses and one pulled out a tampon and handed it to Jughead. “Thanks so much,” he said as handed it over to Betty.

     She just looked at him for a moment, willing herself not to cry again. 

     “Betty, it’s not a big deal. Just go to the bathroom.”

     But it  _ was  _ a big deal and he was just being impossibly sweet. She quickly turned and went on her way before she had another emotional outburst. 

     She took care of her business in the bathroom and tried to pull herself together. She washed her face in cold water to rid herself of her puffy, red eyes. Taking some deep breaths, she looked at herself in the mirror.  _ It is what it is,  _ she thought as she made her way back to the lost luggage line. 

     As it turned out, her suitcase was currently in Seattle and would be delivered to her sometime in the next two weeks. Unfortunately, her dress for the wedding, makeup, and most of her clothes for the weekend were in that bag. She called her mom, who told her to stop at a mall and use the credit card to get the things that she needed.

     They made their way out to short-term parking, where they loaded up her carry-on and set off on the road. 

############

 

     “I’m just so sorry that you are having to deal with this. I mean, it was a series of totally normal traveling issues. I don’t know why it’s got me so frazzled,” Betty apologized for the fifth time only twenty minutes into their drive. 

     “Betty, it’s really not a big deal. You’re allowed to have feelings. I mean, we’re going to be living together and I can guarantee you you’re going to see me totally lose my shit from time to time.”

     “Oh, good. Here I was, thinking that you’re perfect,” she said with a sly smile, digging into the Cheetos he’d brought as a driving snack.

    “Pretty close, but not quite,” he responded. “Here, it looks like they have some food at this exit,” he said, pointing to a sign. “Do you want to get off here?”

     “Yeah, sure. Do you like Taco Bell?”

     “I love Taco Bell.”

 

     Betty scarfed down her burritos and promptly passed out. Jughead put on some quiet music and set his GPS to a mall about halfway to their destination, which hopefully had whatever stores she needed. He couldn’t help but glance over at her sleeping form every now and then. Her legs were a little distracting, propped up on the dashboard as they were. She had definitely gotten some sun during her month in California. 

      This trip wasn’t really turning out how he had imagined it (more talking about her internship, a lot less crying), but he was glad that he had been the one to pick her up and get her sorted out. Her mother just seemed to stress her out more than anything.

     After a few hours of driving on the highway, she started stirring as they got off the exit for the mall. 

     “How long was I asleep for?” She asked groggily as she rubbed her eyes.

     “A little over two hours.”

     She groaned and stretched. “Ugh, that was one of those naps where you wake up wondering what century you’re in.”

     “Yeah, I think you needed it.”

     “Me too. Where are we headed? Would you mind stopping at like a CVS or something?”

     “Sure thing. It looks like there’s a Walgreens up ahead.”

     They split up when they got to the store, since he figured she didn’t want him lurking as she selected whatever period products she needed. He got some more snacks for the road and paid with the cash Alice had given him for gas and food. 

     When they got to the mall, Betty led the way to Macy's, which she said would have the best selection of dresses. Apparently she and Polly were instructed to wear red to coordinate with the vests that he and his father were wearing with their tuxes. She went around the department, picking dresses off the rack. 

     “Do you wanna start on the other side and just grab any red dresses you see in a size four?” She asked.

     “Yeah, sure. Does it matter which kind or anything?”

     “No, I can sort through them as I’m trying them on. It’ll just save us some time.”

     “On it,” he responded with an awkward salute. 

_  What is it about these Cooper women?  _ Alice had his dad participating in wedding planning. Betty’s got him shopping for dresses. And the worst part is, he doesn’t even hate it.  _ Is this considered being whipped? _ He looked over at her holding a dress up in front of herself in the mirror.  _ Probably.  _

     He helped her bring the piles of dresses back to the empty fitting rooms. She went into a stall and he sat on the bench next to a big mirror, pulling out his phone to kill time. 

     After a little while, he heard her laugh and say “Wow, Jug, I think you picked the winner.” Her tone suggested that he had not, in fact, picked the winner. 

     She came out in a floor length gown with poofy, off the shoulder sleeves and a plunging neckline. He thought she looked absolutely stunning, but he realized she was probably laughing because it looked like a disco ball with all the sequins and rhinestones. 

     “In my defense, your instructions were to get you all red dresses in size four. I wasn’t sure if you were going for an… Eighties aesthetic or something.”

     “Well, whatever aesthetic it is, I don’t think my mother would approve.”

     “Yeah, she seems to be pretty particular about things.”

     Betty laughed as she retreated back into her fitting room. “That’s one way to put it.”

     She came out to show him a few more ridiculous options, some of which he honestly didn’t think looked all that bad. He’s pretty sure there was one tiny, fitted dress that she modeled just to try and kill him. Finally, she came out in one that looked like a more realistic contender. 

     “What do you think?” She asked as she spun around to look at the back in the mirror. It was a red, satin dress that was fitted at the top and gracefully flowed to the floor. There was a slit up the side that you could hardly notice when she was standing, but flashed her leg when she walked. 

     “Wow,” was apparently as eloquent as he could be in that moment.

     “I kind of love it, but I know my mom is going to make a comment about how unforgiving satin is,” she said as she brushed her hand across her stomach. 

     “Well, I don’t know that there’s anything to forgive? I mean, for what it’s worth, I think you look great. I can tell her it was the only dress left in the store, if you want.”

     She laughed, “Oh, yeah. I’m sure she’ll believe that Macy’s only had one dress in stock.”

     “I’m just saying. You should get what you want. Especially since she’s not here to tell you not to.”

     “Maybe,” she said softly and went back to her room. 

     At that point, an older couple joined them in the fitting rooms. The wife took her dresses into another stall and the husband sat on the bench next to Jughead with a nod. 

     Betty came out in another dress, knee length with a lace overlay. It had short sleeves and a high neckline.

     “What do you think of this one?”

     “I think it looks great on you.”

     “That’s what you said about the last one.”

     “They all look great on you, Betty.”  _ And if I elaborated any further I’d probably wax poetic in a way that would get awkward really fast. _

     “Smart man,” his bench companion interjected. 

     Betty flashed him a smile. 

     “He’s right, though. You look beautiful, sweetheart,” he added gruffly. 

    “Thank you,” she responded. Turning her attention back to Jughead she said, “I think my mother would like this one better.”

     “It’s up to you, Betts. But, I think you should get the one you want.”

     “Yeah?”

     “Yeah.”

     She went back into the room one last time to change back into her regular clothes.

     “Better get used to this, kid. You’re gonna spend half your life sitting on these benches, waiting on your girl.”

     He responded with a laugh, thinking to himself-  _ If only I could be so lucky. _

 

############

 

     She felt bad dragging Jughead around the mall, so she sent him to look at video games as she went hunting for a Sephora. After purchasing makeup, she stopped in American Eagle to get a few outfits for the weekend, including a summery dress she could wear to the rehearsal dinner. She made a last minute decision to pop into Victoria’s Secret, since her favorite bra and panty set was in her MIA suitcase. 

     When she was done shopping, she found him waiting on a bench outside of GameStop. He took her bags and led the way back to the car. 

     By the time they get back on the road, Betty’s mood had improved significantly. She actually had fun trying on dresses for the first time. It was typically a much more stressful affair, peppered with critical comments from her mother.  _ You know if you lost even just five pounds these dresses would look much better on you... Why don’t we go with something with sleeves to hide your arms?... I don’t think this one flatters your figure, Betty.  _ She probably thought she was being helpful, but really she was just being a bitch.

     Jughead, on the other hand, was… not like that. He didn’t gush over her appearance and gave pretty standard, positive feedback. But, she couldn’t help but notice the soft look he gave her each time she stepped out in a new dress. Or the way his eyes trailed down her body when she modeled ones that were more form fitting. 

     She had genuinely tried to forget about him during her internship. She realized that she was developing a crush during their little beach excursion, so she really needed to nip that in the bud before she got hurt. Just the thought of having to watch him go out with other girls made her stomach turn. The sooner she could get past these feelings, the better.

     She looked over at him for a moment as he drove. Today was not helping. On top of being attractive and smart and funny- why must he also be so kind? He’s obviously not perfect. He could be a little pretentious at times. He was a little moody the first day they met. But overall, he was just so… perfectly suited for her. It all seemed like a cruel joke. But, she supposed, it was probably for the best. If they were to date in high school, chances are they’d break up and that would be that. Having him as a step-brother means that he could be a lifelong friend, even if there can’t be a romantic component to their relationship. 

     “Hey, so why don’t you tell me about this internship?” He said, interrupting her thoughts. “I know you mentioned in the airport that it had been challenging. Was it at least fun living the dream without parental supervision?”

     “Yeah! To be honest, I think getting a break from my mother was the best thing about it. It made me realize how ready I am to leave for college.”

     “Oh, yeah? Where do you want to go?”

     “I’m not totally sure yet, hopefully somewhere in the city. Maybe NYU? Columbia? Fordham? Pretty much anywhere that will accept me and get me the hell out of Riverdale.”

     He laughed, “Yeah, I feel that.”

     “What about you? What are your college plans?”

     “Also pretty much anywhere that will accept me and get me the hell out of Riverdale. And hopefully give me a lot of scholarship money.”

     “You should come to the city with me. So, we’ll both know someone.”

     “Isn’t it a little soon for that, Betts? We haven’t even started living together yet. You could be sick of me by the end of the week.”

     “I really doubt that.”

     He smiled. “Well, let’s hope so.”

     “Hey, look at that!” She said excitedly, pointing out the window.

     “What?”

     “We’re about to cross the state line! Congratulations, Jughead Jones. You’ve just left the state of New York.”

 

     She ended up spending most of the car ride telling him about her internship. How her boss was pretty demanding and stressed her out a lot. How exciting it was to meet renowned authors like Toni Morrison. How lonely it was spending a month away from her family and friends. How she got to relax at the beach on weekends. 

     He told her about his summer job at the drive-in, which he assured her was far less exciting than her internship. She thought it would be pretty cool to work at the drive-in, so she told him so. He promised to take her some time and let her sit in the projection booth.

     Time seemed to fly with their easy conversation and before she knew it, he was handing over the keys to the valet at the hotel. 

     She texted Polly that she had arrived and waited in line with Jughead at the front desk. He was getting his own room while Betty was sharing with Polly and the twins. She was looking forward to spending time with them, since she hadn’t seen them in months and communication was hit or miss while they were living at the Farm.

     “Betty!” She heard her sister squeal as she entered the lobby. She had one toddler on her hip and the other was holding her hand.

     “Polly!” She ran over and gave them all a good squeeze. “How are you? How have you been? Oh my gosh, you two are so big! When did you get this big? Hi, do you remember me? I’m your Aunt Betty.”

     The twin she was holding, Juniper she assumed based on her pigtails, turned and hid her head in her mom’s neck. “Oh, they just woke up from naps. They're a little cranky. Let me show you up to the room, so you can get settled in. If we are late for the rehearsal, you know mom is going to lose it.”

     “Ugh, you’re so right. And I desperately need a shower. Let me just go and get my bags from Jug.” She crossed the lobby and found him at the front of the line.

     “If you wanna wait a minute while I get checked in, I can carry this stuff up for you.”

     “Oh, don’t worry about it, I think I can handle it,” she said, relieving him of her carry-on and shopping bags. She suddenly felt odd about leaving him after their eventful day together. “Well, thanks again, Juggie. For everything. I seriously don’t know what I would have done without you today. I don’t know how I could repay you, but if you ever need anything-“

     “Betty,” he said, cutting her off. “You are very welcome for any assistance I may have given. But, this is the last time you are allowed to apologize or thank me for it. I mean it,” he said, sternly. “Deal?”

     “Deal,” she agreed with a smile.

     “Now go and have fun with your family. I’ll see you tonight at the rehearsal.”

     “Okay. And thanks a-“ she stopped herself and laughed at his chastising expression. “I’m sorry, I just have to say it one more time- thanks, Jug.” She quickly pecked his cheek and walked away before she could see his reaction. She wasn’t sure if it was the most appropriate thing to do, but she just felt like she had to do  _ something _ to show him how much she appreciated him. 

     “ _ What the hell was that _ ?” Polly whispered when she reached her. “Isn’t that the kid that's going to be our  _ brother _ ?”

     “ _ Step- _ brother. I feel like that’s an important distinction. And it wasn’t anything! I was just thanking him for helping me out today.”

     They continued their conversation as they made their way to the elevators. “Betty, I know I’ve never had a brother before, but I’m going to assume that it’s not socially acceptable to flirt with him.”

     “I was not flirting with him! How would you even know that? We were all the way across the room.”

     “Yeah and I could read your body language from all the way across the room. I know flirting when I see it, Betty!”

     “I’m just being friendly, alright?”

     “Whatever you say,” she said with a skeptical expression. The elevator dinged and luckily Polly dropped the subject. She knew her feelings towards Jughead were not of the sibling variety, but she wasn’t really in the mood to discuss and unpack any of _ that _ .

  
  
  



	4. So, Can We Get Down to It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter of Wedding Weekend. We somehow still haven’t made it to the actual wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta angel Izzy, @bettsplusfive.
> 
> Thank you for all of your kind comments! It makes my day.

     Their hotel room was a little cramped with two beds plus two cribs for the twins. Betty showered and did her hair and makeup in the bathroom. She came out to find Juniper and Dagwood sitting on the bed with their eyes glued to the television. 

     “Wow, they must really like this show,” she commented.

     “Actually, this is their first time seeing a television!” Polly exclaimed.  “Isn’t it funny how enthralled they are?”

     “First time seeing a television  _ ever? _ What about, like, at the waiting room at the doctor’s office?”

     “We have our own medical center at the Farm! Isn’t that so convenient? And we don’t have TVs anywhere on the premises. Edgar says they’re a ‘frivolity that distracts the mind from more productive endeavors.’ Isn’t that so true, Betty? I really think you would like the farm. Edgar insists that you come visit soon.”

     “Oh, maybe,” she said as her heart dropped. It was so unsettling to talk to her sister and yet feel like she was talking to a complete stranger. 

     “Edgar has really helped me work through and resolve a lot of issues I’ve been dealing with since dad… you know. I really think you should talk to him, Betty. He can help you, too. Everyone at the farm is so supportive. It’s a network of like-minded people working in harmony to create a more ideal society. We try to avoid involvement with the outside world as much as possible. Edgar says...” Betty started zoning out.  _ Who are you? What have you done with my sister? _ She had always been the type to be easily influenced by others. Whenever she’d start hanging out with a new group of friends, she’d start listening to their music, dressing like them, acting like them. But, this was the worst she’d ever seen her. It made her feel impossibly sad and lonely. 

     “I’m really glad they let you come to the wedding, Pol,” she told her after she’d finished speaking. 

     “Me too! I’m sorry I couldn’t leave for the longest time. You have to work your way up and earn your privileges. Hopefully I’ll be able to leave again at Christmas!”

     “I really hope so.”

 

     She was in a weird mood as she helped Polly wrangle the kids and corral them down to the area where the ceremony was to be held. They were twenty minutes early to avoid the wrath of her mother. It was a grassy space beside the lake that would be set up with fifty chairs the next day. A wooden arch marked the spot where Alice and FP would be married, thus sealing her fate as Jughead’s step-sister. She was happy. She was sad. She was confused. 

     “Hey.” 

     She jumped when she realized someone was standing next to her. She turned and it was just Jughead.

     “Oh my gosh, you scared me.”

     “Sorry. Didn’t mean to creep up on you. Are you feeling okay? You’re giving that thing a death stare,” he said, referring to the arch.

     “Oh, I’m fine. Just got lost in my thoughts.”

     “How’s your sister?”

     “She’s…” she looked over at her, laying in the grass with the kids. “Happy, I think.”

     “You don’t sound very happy.”

     “Do you ever just feel really weird?” For some reason she felt very comfortable unloading her feelings on him. “Like when it’s Christmas Day and you want it to be fun and magical like when you were a kid, but now you know that Santa’s not real and your gifts aren’t toys anymore and your family is all different and it makes you realize how things have changed?” She looked over at him, and he nodded in understanding. 

     “Like a melancholic nostalgia? I’m familiar with the mood.”

     “Yeah, well, I feel like that.” 

     “Did you know that I have a sister, too?”

     “I didn’t.” She guessed it wasn’t that surprising that she hadn’t heard about her. It’s not like they’d known each other that long. But, it just seemed like something that someone should have mentioned, considering this girl would be her step-sister in twenty-four hours.

     “I haven’t seen her in… four years. My mom took her when she left. They’ve been living in Toledo ever since. I’ve experienced plenty of melancholic nostalgia since then.”

     “Yeah?”

     “Yeah.”

     “My dad tried to kill us,” she said, matter-of-factly. 

     “Oh?” He said looking very surprised, but obviously trying to temper his reaction.

     “My mom was able to keep it out of the newspaper, obviously, so not many people ended up hearing about it. She just pretends it never happened.”

     “When was this?”

     “Uh… two years ago this June?”

     “Wow.”

     “Yeah.”

     “That… really sucks.” 

     They both laughed. 

     “Yeah, it does.” 

     He looked in her eyes and for the first time in a long time, she felt seen. He wasn’t pitying her. He didn’t look uncomfortable about her admission. He looked about as open and vulnerable as she felt.

     “I know that now isn’t really the time or place, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here. More specifically, I will be in the bedroom next door to yours. Very accessible.”

     “Thanks, Jug.”

     “And I’m sorry if that is adding to your weirdness. I’m sure it’s strange for you that I’m taking your sister’s space.”

     “Oddly enough, that is actually turning out to be something that I’m looking forward to. Living with you, I mean. Not that you’re going to be my step-brother.”

     He looked at her for a moment and said, “Why one and not the other?”

_ Oops.  _ “Well, I just meant… I’m glad that you’ll be living with us because I enjoy spending time with you and I think it will be fun! And, well, the other thing is just… oh, look! There’s my mom, let me go see if she needs anything.” She hightailed it out of there before either of them could figure out how she was going to end that sentence. 

  
  


############

 

_ She’s looking forward to living with me, but not the fact that I’m going to be her step-brother.  _ He pretty much spent the entirety of the rehearsal working out all possible meanings of this sentiment. Most likely, she does not want some strange new brother in her family. She got awkward about explaining herself, because she’s too nice to tell him that. 

     But… there was some small glimmer of hope that maybe she was feeling what he was. That becoming step-siblings was actually The Worst because of their undeniable chemistry and raging sexual tension.  _ Or is that just on my end?  _ She’s a nice girl. She could easily be humoring him and playing along with his flirting due to some polite feeling of obligation. 

     Unfortunately, there was no way to know for sure unless they had the world’s most awkward conversation-

 

_ Me: Hey, so I can't help but notice how much we flirt with each other. Is that based on legitimate feelings of attraction, or… _

_      Betty: Totally! I am super into you. Sucks that we can literally never do anything about it! _

_      Me: Haha, yeah. _

 

     And, that would be best case scenario. A more likely conversation would be- 

 

_ Me: Hey, so I can't help but notice how much we flirt with each other. Is that based on legitimate feelings of attraction, or… _

_      Betty: Oh, God. I’m so sorry you got the wrong idea! I just thought we were participating in friendly, platonic banter. _

_      Me: Haha, okay. I’m just gonna go die, thanks. _

 

     He looked over at her, standing opposite him beside Polly, where she’d be during the ceremony. She had already been looking at him and quickly turned with a blush when he caught her.  _ Maybe it’s best case scenario?  _ Not that best case scenario would even be that great. They’d still be in the same impossible situation. But, hey, at least he wouldn’t be the only one.

     The rehearsal was pretty quick and painless, as nothing too complicated would be happening during the ceremony. His main responsibility was to hand his father the ring at the appropriate time. When it came time for them to practice their recessional walk down the aisle, he was instructed to lead Betty by the arm, which he readily complied with. 

 

     At the conclusion of the rehearsal, they split up into cars to drive to an Italian restaurant for dinner where they’d be joined by some of Betty’s relatives. Polly announced that she’d be skipping out, as it was time for the twins to go to bed. 

     Jughead ended up driving Betty as well as her grandma. She had just arrived at the hotel after flying in from Florida, where she’d been living since retirement. With perfectly coiffed hair, a sharp pink ladies suit, and a strong smelling perfume, she seemed like exactly the type of person who would have raised Alice Cooper. She expectantly waited for Jughead to open her door and help her into the passenger seat. As soon as they got on the road, she began an interrogation that rivaled that of Alice herself.

     “Well, what do you do, young man?”

     Jughead wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that and opted for, “I’m a student. I’m going to be a senior in high school.”

     “And that’s all you do?” She said, sounding displeased. 

     Normally, this is where he’d start copping an attitude.  _ Actually, I spend a lot of time underage drinking in abandoned buildings. Would you like to hear about the inner workings of my motorcycle gang?  _ But, considering his raging crush on Betty and the fact that this was her grandma, he found himself saying,  “Oh, well, I also run my school’s newspaper. Well, I did at my old school, but-“

     “And you will at Riverdale as well,” interjected Betty, who had already assured him he’d have a place on the Blue and Gold. “He’s also writing a book! Isn’t that impressive?” 

     “A book? Fiction, I suppose?” She asked, sounding disgusted by the very idea of fictional literature. 

     “Well, it’s a work of fiction based on real experiences,” he responded, getting more annoyed by the minute. God, he hated stuck up Northsiders.

     Betty could obviously sense the tension and tried to intervene. “How are things in Florida, Grandma?”

     “Oh, Elizabeth, it is far too hot this time of year. Not that it’s much better up here. Why are you wearing that strange hat, boy?” She asked Jughead, not to be deterred by Betty’s attempt at misdirection. 

     “Because I like it.” He answered shortly.

     She haughtily replied, “I’ll be honest, it’s not very becoming of you.” 

     “Grandma!” Betty exclaimed, sounding horrified. “I think your hat is  _ very  _ becoming, Jughead.”

     The older woman snorted and said, “I don’t know if I’d take that as a compliment judging by your taste, Elizabeth.”

_ What is it with the women in this family.  _ He clamped his mouth shut, fearing that he’d say something he’d regret later. She took his silence as an invitation to continue talking.

     “I’m sure you are enjoying your new living arrangements? I haven’t been through the Southside in years, but I assume there is still rampant crime and squalor?”

     “That is enough, Grandma!” Betty exclaimed. He’d never heard her so heated before.

     “What? It’s the truth, Elizabeth! Aren’t you the least bit concerned that these shifty Southsiders will be living in your home?”

     They had just arrived at the restaurant. Jughead parked the car and turned to her. “Listen,” he said, reaching his breaking point, “I get that you don’t like me. I’ll be honest, I don’t really care. You think you know me, but you don’t. There’s nothing that I could do or say to change your opinion of me or the Southside. You probably think I’m some petty criminal, and I’m pretty sure you’re just a stuck up…” he was going to say  _ bitch _ , but thought better of it. “Anyway, it turns out we’re going to have to deal with each other from now on. So, can we just agree to be civil?”

     He was shocked to see a small smirk appear on her face as he spoke. Without responding, she opened her door and Betty scrambled out of the car to assist her. Before she shut the door behind her, he heard her say to Betty, “Oh, I think I might like this one.”

 

############

 

     Some people loved spending time with their families. Some people actually looked forward to big family gatherings. Betty couldn’t even begin to fathom such a reality. 

     Her mom’s side of the family could be so emotionally draining. She didn’t have any cousins her age. It was just her mom, aunt, and grandma. They all had similar dispositions, with strong opinions and the need to force those opinions on others. 

     Normally Polly would be there to share some of the attention. But, apparently, now she has an excuse to get out of these sorts of things. Well, two excuses. Betty had tried to get out of it as well by claiming exhaustion from her traveling (which was neither a lie nor exaggeration), but her mother wouldn’t hear it.

     But, as it turned out, dinner actually went better than Betty had expected. They all wanted to talk about the wedding and FP and his job at the sheriff’s department. She and Jughead sat quietly at one end of the table, only joining the conversation when directly addressed. She was seriously just trying not to fall asleep.

     Suddenly, her grandmother’s monologue about how smartphones will be the downfall of society was interrupted by Jughead clearing his throat. “Betty, you went to the bathroom earlier, right? Would you mind showing me where it is?” 

     “Oh, sure,” she quickly responded, getting out of her seat. It would have taken fairly simple directions to tell him how to find it, but she jumped at the opportunity to escape.

     He followed her out of the dining room, down a hall which led to a small, fancy sitting room that was the entrance to the bathrooms.

     Abruptly turning to her, he said, “Okay, I don’t actually need to go, I just wanted a break and figured you might, too.” 

     She laughed.  _ Of course he would.  _ “Oh, thank you. I really did.”

     “Do you wanna get out of here?” He asked.

     “Yeah, I wish.”

     “No, seriously. Just say you don’t feel well or something and I’ll just take you back to the hotel.”

    “I don’t know….” As tempting as his suggestion was, she couldn’t help but feel like her mother would see right through her. 

    “Betty, don’t take this the wrong way, but you look exhausted. You’ve been up all night traveling with one nap in my car. That is a totally valid excuse to get out of here.”

     “Well, not according to my mother, it's not. I tried to get out of coming here in the first place and she wasn’t having it.” 

     “Well, we’ll just tell her I’m sick. I’ll announce to the table that I have like… aggressive diarrhea and I need you to take me back to the hotel immediately.”

     They both busted out laughing. 

     “What? No one is going to question that,” he said, smiling.

     “Okay, fine. If you wanna go for it, I’m in.”

 

     Jughead went with a more general “upset stomach” as his excuse and the two of them were sent on their way with their food in boxes.

     “Oh my gosh, you have no idea how much I am looking forward to crashing as soon as I get to my hotel room,” Betty said as they started driving. “I just wish I didn’t have to wake up so early tomorrow.”

     “Why do you have to get up early? Isn’t the ceremony in the afternoon?”

     Betty laughed. “Oh, Juggie. You have no idea. It will be a full day of womanly preparations. After the hours spent on hair and makeup, you won’t even be able to recognize me.”

     “God, I’m so glad I’m a guy,” he said, shaking his head. 

     “Yeah, me too,” she responded without really thinking. She quickly kept talking to gloss over her awkward comment, “Well, I’ve never had professional makeup done before, so we’ll see how it turns out. Hopefully they don’t give me raccoon eyes or something.”

     “I’m sure you’ll look beautiful.” She looked over at him, but he kept his eyes determinedly on the road. It wasn’t the first time he called her beautiful. She recalled being in the ocean with him, bathing in the moonlight. No makeup, wet hair. And he thought she was beautiful. 

     “Are you this smooth all the time?” She asked with a teasing lilt, but genuinely wanted to know if he was a flirt. He didn’t seem the type. He wasn’t particularly cocky when he paid her compliments. But, she was curious all the same.

     “I don’t think anyone has ever accused me of being ‘smooth’ before, but I’m glad you think so,” he said with a smile. 

     “It’s a shame your charm is wasted on your step-sister.” 

     “You have no idea,” he responded, still not looking at her. 

 

     He parked at the hotel and they made their way up to her room in relative silence. His room was on a different floor, but he offered to walk her to her door. 

     Unfortunately, when they got there, she realized that she had never taken a room key. She called and texted Polly, but she seemed to be already sleeping. 

     “Well, shoot,” she said to herself.

     “You could come up to my room if you want?” Jughead proposed.

     “Oh, sure! That would be great.”  _ Oh, God, why did I have to say that with so much enthusiasm.  _ She wasn’t sure if he meant that she was invited for the night, or just until she got the key thing sorted out. But, she was actually fine with either scenario.

_  Sleeping beside this beautiful boy who’s about to be my step-brother? Sure, why not. Let’s just fan the flames of this crush as much as possible. Set myself up for heartbreak in every way imaginable. What could possibly go wrong? _

     He led her up a few floors to his room. Since he wasn’t sharing with anyone, he had just one large bed instead of the two smaller ones in her room.  _ This should be interesting. _

     “I was just going to jump in the shower. Do you want to go first? Not that you, like,  _ need _ to or anything, I just figured that you’d want to, since-“

     “Yes, Jug,” she said, interrupting what sounded like nervous rambling. “I would definitely love a shower.”

     “Okay, yeah. I’ll just grab you something you can change into to sleep in,” he said, turning to rummage through his suitcase.

    She laughed, realizing how funny it was that she was once again without her clothes. Then, she kept laughing because she was so tired, she was getting slap happy. Jughead stood up with clothes in his hands, looking slightly wary at her delirious laughter. 

     “I’m sorry. I seriously can’t even handle today. Just a wild ride from start to finish. I don’t feel like I’m the same person who left California last night.”

     He chuckled. “Yeah I know the feeling,” he said as he handed over some clothes for her to wear. She realized that his previous invitation was most certainly to spend the night. She stopped laughing and shyly took his clothes. 

     “It’s just a t-shirt and boxers. It’s what I usually sleep in. I’m sorry if it’s weird because it’s kind of my  _ underwear _ , but I promise they’re clean and-“

     “Jughead. Thank you. You are my literal savior and I would not have survived this day without you. I’m gonna go shower now.”

     She went and took a shower, contemplating all the reasons why this slumber party was a terrible idea.

 

############

 

     Betty was showering as he tried to keep his cool sitting on the bed. Extending an invitation to stay in his room was an obvious solution to her problem. She was very tired and he had a bed. He asked without fully thinking through the implications and consequences. Now, he had about fifteen minutes or so to sit and contemplate his life choices.

_ She’s going to be your step-sister tomorrow,  _ he reminded himself once again.  _ But, she’s not your step-sister tonight.  _ He quickly tried to banish the thought. Making any sort of move or spilling his guts would make their future living arrangements horribly and painfully awkward. She’d move on, some bonehead at Riverdale would finally wake up and ask her out because how could you not, and then he’d be wallowing in self-pity, being forced to watch with a front row seat.  _ Get it together, Jughead. _

__ He had truly never felt this way about someone before. He had never been so attracted to someone, both physically and emotionally. The thought of doing something about it was just so fucking  _ tempting.  _ But, no. It would be stupid. He could wait, right? Maybe after they graduated and moved out of the house and they were adults living on their own, it wouldn’t be quite as weird if they….

_ God, I’m going to spend half my life pining over this girl.  _

__ She came out of the shower with wet hair, dressed in his clothes and,  _ fuck, _ he didn’t think this through. 

     “Shower’s all yours,” she said, gesturing to the door. “You wouldn’t happen to have a brush or comb or…”

     “Yeah, here,” he said, rummaging through his bag and pulling out his comb. 

     She thanked him and he slipped past her, into the bathroom. He willed himself not to think of her in his bed, in his  _ clothes,  _ as he took a particularly fast, cold shower. Stepping out, he realized he hadn’t brought in his own clothes to change into.

     He wasn’t sure if she’d still be awake, but as he walked back into the room, her head popped up and she looked him over. She was in bed, under the covers on the far side, with her phone in hand. 

     “Sorry, I forgot to bring clothes in,” he explained, holding his towel on with one hand and grabbing his clothes with the other. 

     “It’s okay. I guess we’re even now,” she responded.

     With a laugh, he said, “Yeah, I guess I owed you a free show.”

     He looked over at her before going back into the bathroom. Her eyes were still on him and she was biting her bottom lip. 

     “Like what you see, Cooper?” He teased. 

     Her eyes popped back up to meet his with a blush. He had expected her to make a joke in response, but she surprised him by wordlessly nodding. He looked at her for a beat, then winked in a moment of boldness. Going back into the bathroom to put his clothes on he thought,  _ Who the hell am I? Winking at her like some douchebag.  _

     He quickly dressed and came back out, turning off the lights and slipping into the other side of the bed. She put her phone on the end table and turned to face him.

     “I hope you don’t mind, I got your charger out because my phone was almost dead,” she said quietly.

     “That’s okay, You can use it,” he responded, matching her volume. 

     They looked at each other for a few moments. She was so beautiful with her freshly washed face and her hair fanned over her pillow. 

     “Are you ever so tired and then once you get in bed, your mind feels wide awake and you can’t fall asleep?” She asked.

     “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

     “It feels like one of those nights,” she told him. 

     “Do you wanna talk, or should I leave you alone so you can try to fall asleep?” He asked, selfishly hoping she’d want to stay awake a little longer with him.

     “Talk to me,” she gently demanded.

     He thought for a moment about what they could talk about. “How are you feeling about tomorrow?”

     “How am I feeling about the actual wedding event, or how am I feeling about our parents getting married?” She asked. 

     “Both. Either. Whichever one you want to talk about.” He was admittedly much more curious about the second option, but didn’t want to push it. 

     “Well, I’m sure the wedding ceremony will be nice. I’m not nervous or anything, since I don’t really have to do anything and there won’t be a lot of people there anyway. I’m not really looking forward to the reception. It’ll just be a bunch of adults I don’t really know. I’m really glad you’ll be there, though. You have to save me if I get sucked into a conversation and I need an out.”

     “Just give me a signal. Like, pull your ear or something.”

     She laughed. “Okay, sounds like a plan. And that goes for you, too. If you need an escape.”

     “Okay, I’ll remember that.” He paused, but she didn’t continue. “And the second question?” He prompted. 

     “Hmm… how do I feel about our parents getting married. Well, I like your dad. He makes my mom happy. He makes her a hell of a lot more bearable, actually. After the thing with my dad she was just… she dealt with it by being like, aggressively normal. She just pretended it never happened, expected us to just go on as normal, be happy, get good grades. She became an absolute control freak. I just felt like I couldn’t breathe, she was just always there criticizing my every move, the way I dressed, the people I was friends with, what I ate…”

     “Anyway, it was just rough there for a while. But, your dad has really helped her calm down. Like, a lot. At first, I think it was just that she had a distraction, someone else to worry about. But, he really makes her happy. And I think he’s helped her to deal with things and process things that she’d been ignoring. 

     “So, yeah. I’m happy that they’ve found each other. She deserves to be happy. She deserves someone who’s good to her.”

     “It’s funny,” Jughead responded, “because this whole time our parents were dating I thought she was the one helping him.” 

     He paused before continuing. He rarely spoke about his issues with his dad. Even though his friends on the Southside had various childhood traumas, it was like they had an unspoken rule that they never really talked about them. But, perhaps due to her own personal admission, he felt safe and comfortable opening up to Betty.

     “After my mom left, my dad was in a really dark place. He was drinking a lot. Very excessively. That was his way of coping. He was leading the Serpents and just being really reckless and not taking care of himself. When Child Protective Services threatened to take me away, he finally got his act together. They got him into AA and he’s been sober ever since. But, it was really hard for him at first. 

     “Your mom really helped him turn his life around. She helped him get a better job, he started taking better care of himself and wearing nicer clothes. He was actually happy, not just trying to get through the day. So, yeah. I’m happy for them, too.”

     He had been looking up at the ceiling as he spoke, but he looked over at Betty when he finished. She had tears streaming down her face.

     “I’m so sorry, that is just so heartbreaking, Jug. I can’t imagine how hard it was for you to go through that when it was just you and your dad. I wish I would have known you then.”

     He reached his hand over to wipe her tears away. “It’s okay, Betty. Things are much better now. Great, actually. I live in this sweet house on Elm Street and I’ll have a really cool roommate.”

     She chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t hate the idea of living with you.”

     “I don’t either,” he agreed. 

     She reached over and slid her hand on top of his, running her thumb over his knuckles. He looked down at it and then met her gaze. 

     “Thank you for sharing that with me,” she said softly. 

     “Yeah, you too. I’m really sorry that you’ve had to go through such shitty stuff as well. It’s actually kind of nice talking to someone else who gets it.” 

    She wrapped her hand around his and pulled it up to her face. She closed her eyes and gently kissed the back of his hand, then put their joined hands back on the bed between them.

     His eyes met hers and he felt a pang in his chest. The moment was so terribly beautiful and intimate. He couldn’t stop himself before he asked, “Betts, what you said earlier, about looking forward to living with me, but not that I’ll be your step-brother… What did you mean by that?”

     The air was thick and he couldn’t tell you how much time passed as the tension built, waiting for her answer.

     “I think you know what I meant,” she said simply. Her expression, sad and vulnerable, matched exactly how he felt. 

     “Yeah, I do,” he responded. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest. 

     How in the world did he end up in this situation? He was in bed with a girl who was, quite honestly, the most beautiful he’d ever seen. She was smart and kind and witty.  _ She actually fucking reciprocated his feelings of attraction. _ And he couldn’t do a thing about it. Unless…

    “But, I’m not your step-brother tonight.”

     There was another beat of silence. 

     “No. You’re not,” she breathlessly agreed. 

     Then, he kissed her. 

 

############

 

     It took her by surprise. He leaned over and pressed his lips against hers and before she could even properly react, he pulled away. 

     He was looking at her with wide eyes, possibly gauging her reaction.  _ Don’t worry, you didn’t just cross a huge line, I absolutely wanted that to happen,  _ she thought. She wasn’t sure how to verbalize the sentiment. She actually wasn’t sure what to say at all.

     All she knew was that she wanted  _ more.  _ And he made a good point. They weren’t step-siblings  _ yet.  _ There was really nothing keeping them from kissing tonight.  _ What were my reasons for thinking this was a terrible idea?  _ It was like a switch had flipped in her brain. Logic was turned off. Instincts were turned on. And her instinct was to climb on top of this boy. 

     She leaned in and kissed him again, letting her lips linger. She wasn’t exactly sure how to move them, so she slid her hand around his neck and pulled him closer so he’d get the idea that she wanted more.

     He responded enthusiastically, coming closer and leaning over her to get a better angle. He started moving his mouth and,  _ oh, this is how you make out.  _ She followed his lead and slotted her fingers through his hair, still damp from the shower.

     His hand that wasn’t holding his weight came up to her face. He ran his thumb over her cheek and tilted her head back as she felt him gently suck on her bottom lip. She emitted a small, involuntary whimper at the sensation, which he seemed to take as an invitation to kiss her more deeply. She felt his tongue and she wasn’t exactly sure what to do with it, so she followed his lead. 

     Their momentum was picking up and she felt an ache between her legs. She squeezed her thighs together, searching for friction. It wasn’t enough and she wanted nothing more than to change positions to get some relief. 

     When she couldn’t take it anymore, she pulled away for a moment and shimmied her body over a bit, sliding her leg under him so that he was now fully on top of her. She resumed kissing and was now able to move her hips against him and-

     “ _ Goddammit, Betty, _ ” he groaned. He met her movements and she felt all conscious thought disappear as she let her body take over. He was slowly bucking his hips into her and,  _ God,  _ she could probably come like this. 

     She felt his hand run up her side and back down again. He slipped it under her shirt and squeezed her waist. She moved her hands from his hair to under his shirt, running them up his abs and chest, feeling his body for the first time.

    He started kissing down her neck, latching onto her pulse point. She moaned and it sounded so deliciously obscene.  _ Did I just make that noise?  _ He suddenly stilled above her. 

     “Betty,” he said gruffly, resting his forehead on hers. They were both out of breath and she could feel a sheen of sweat on his forehead. 

     “Yeah?” She asked. She knew that he was doing the right thing by stopping to talk, but in that moment she  _ really _ didn’t want to.

     “I…” he started, but didn’t seem to know what to say. 

     “What?” She prompted. 

     He pulled back, so that they could see each other’s faces. His pupils were blown wide and she couldn’t imagine how wrecked she looked in that moment. 

     He leaned down and kissed her gently, without ever finishing his thought. He continued kissing her, but he slowed down the pace. It felt different. Like they were kissing to kiss and not rushing to get somewhere else. 

     She started feeling tired again, and it was like the fire was turning to embers. He brought his hand up and carded his fingers through her hair, gently running his hand through it as they kissed. She lazily continued making out with him until they slowed down and stopped. 

    “Thank you,” he breathed, as they readjusted their position and she curled up next to him.

     “For what?” She asked.

     “For giving me the honor of being your first kiss,” he responded with a smile.

     She giggled. “Well, it was my pleasure.”

     “That’s where you’re wrong. The pleasure was all mine.” They both laughed. 

     She looked up at him and he met her gaze. They stopped laughing and both seemed to realize their predicament as the afterglow dissipated.

     “This can’t happen again,” she said quietly.

     “No, it can’t,” he said, looking impossibly sad.

     “It was really nice, though,” she told him honestly. 

     “It was,” he agreed. After a moment, he continued, “You know, I was thinking... Like, we can’t do anything now, obviously, because of our  _ situation.  _ But, maybe one day? When we’re out of the house and living on our own? That would be okay, right? Maybe down the road…” 

     “Yeah,” she readily agreed. “I think we could. I think we should. Someday.”

     “Yeah, someday.” He pulled her in tighter, kissed her head one last time, and she drifted off to sleep. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my first foray into smutty territory.


	5. It Was Good to Keep Me Guessing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally made it to the wedding day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, Izzy!!
> 
> Tumble with me @bestpillowtalkever

_ What is that noise? _ He sat up in bed, disoriented and wondering why the hell someone was banging on his door this early. Looking at the clock, he realized it was, in fact, almost noon.  _ Why am I so tired? _

__ Then, it hit him.  _ Betty.  _ Clearly, she had left hours ago, since the girls’ wedding preparations started at some ungodly hour. 

     He’d admit it, he was completely gone for her at this point. After she had fallen asleep in his arms, he couldn’t help but stay awake to savor the moment. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever get to have her like this again and he knew once he went to sleep it would be over. So, he stayed awake until his eyes burned, watching her sleep soundly against his chest. Probably peak creep behavior, he knew. But, just for that night, he got to be the guy to hold this girl. 

     It was still hard to believe that it had actually happened. And that she was so _ into _ it. Putting on the brakes and slowing them down had been the ultimate test of his willpower. But, it was her first time kissing. He didn’t feel right doing more, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to properly ask her out or be with her in any romantic capacity after the fact. It would have just made things that much harder between them.

     He could wait for her. It’s not like there were any other girls he was half as interested in. He could survive a year of having her tantalizingly close without acting on it. 

     (Probably).

     But, would she really wait for him? It’s not like he could ask her to just not see anyone for the next year. There’s no way of knowing that she’d even still be into him by the time they moved out. Once again, he thought of the inevitable situation where she started dating someone else and the thought made his stomach turn.

     “Boy! If you don’t open this door I’m gonna call security and have them knock it down.”

     He jumped out of bed and went over to let his dad in. “I’m pretty sure security would have a key to open it,” he grumbled as he opened the door. 

     “Why aren’t you awake yet? This thing is in four hours and we need to start getting ready.”

     “Why do we need four hours to get ready?” He asked, rubbing his eyes.

     “Hell, if I know. Go put some clothes on,” he said, walking into the room. “Alice says there’s a room we need to get dressed in off the reception hall. She’s gonna send in some girl to do our hair and the photographer will want to take some pictures.”

     “What are they going to do to my hair?” He asked irritably as he pulled his pants on. 

     “Put some junk in it, I guess. I’m just doing what Alice says, and you should too. She is in a mood today, boy.”

     “Color me shocked,” he deadpanned.

     “Come on, she’s not that bad. I feel like she’s been pretty good to you. I wouldn’t be marrying her if I didn’t think so,” his dad responded. 

     “No, I know that, dad. I was just… I’m really glad you’re marrying her.” As much as the Betty thing sucked, he really did mean it. 

     “I’m glad you feel that way, son,” he said as he clapped him on the shoulder. “You know, I’m still sorry about everything that happened with your mom. I know I’m the reason she left. I’m not saying she was right for leaving you, but she was right to leave me. I hope… I’m not saying Alice could replace your mom. But, I’m gonna do things different this time around. You’re gonna get a house and a family like you deserve. I was actually thinking of asking if Jellybean wants to come visit.”

     “That would be great, dad,” he said as something like guilt began to twist in his stomach. His father was so happy to be building this family for them. And here he was, undermining it by making moves on his step-sister.

_ Whatever, it was a one time thing,  _ he said to himself, trying to shake the feeling.  _ We can be a family for a year and then down the road…  _

     He followed his dad down the hall to the elevators, his earlier conviction fading back to confusion and uncertainty.

 

############

 

     “You know, satin isn’t very forgiving, Elizabeth.” Her mother looked between her and the dress, as if imagining it on her. She didn’t look optimistic. 

     “Well, I was a little pressed for time yesterday and this was the best option,” she explained.  _ Also, Jughead seemed to think it looked alright.  _

__ “Well, put it on and let’s see how bad it is. Worst comes to worst, we can probably find a sweater somewhere to throw over it. White would be best to match the lilies, but black could work in a pinch.”

     “Mom,” she said, getting irritated. “It’s like a hundred degrees outside. I’m not wearing a  _ sweater _ over a satin evening gown.”

     “Well, I’m just trying to help you, Betty! If it’s too warm, maybe a sweater just for the reception?”

     “I’m not wearing a sweater, mom!” She said as she stormed off to put the dress on.

     The summer without her mom had been glorious. She’d honestly forgotten how frustrating she could be.  _ One more reason I cannot wait to move out of the house.  _

     She put on the dress and stepped in front of the floor-length mirror. She hardly recognized herself. She had joked about it with Jughead the day before, but she wasn’t actually expecting such a transformation. Her hair was pulled back into a graceful updo, with some loose waves framing her face. The makeup artist had managed to bring out her features without going overboard (which she had kind of been worried about). 

     She loved the dress. It fit her figure perfectly and the satin shine gave it a little edge that she wasn't used to. It was so unlike anything she’d worn before, so different from how her mother had always expected her to dress. She was grateful that Jughead had convinced her to get it. 

     Stepping out, she braced herself for her mother’s reaction. She turned and saw her look her over, cocking an eyebrow. 

     “I don’t hate it,” she said, sounding surprised.

     Betty smiled. That was a pretty big compliment coming from her mom. “Yeah, I kind of like it,” she responded.

     Their moment was interrupted by the door swinging open, followed by the entrance of two crying toddlers. 

     “I just could not get them down for a nap,” Polly explained, sounding exasperated. “Juniper was finally falling asleep and then Dagwood started crying again and woke her up. It’s a lost cause.” She sank down onto the loveseat. 

     “Get your dress on, Polly. The photographer will be here any minute. Betty and I will take the twins,” her mom told her. 

     Polly dressed into a gauzy, flowy sleeved maxi dress that was a muted shade of red. The bohemian vibe didn’t particularly match Betty’s dress or the formal style of the wedding, but luckily her mother didn’t comment on it. She probably realized they were lucky they even got her to leave that god forsaken farm.

     The photographer arrived and they managed to calm the twins down enough to take some pictures. They posed, pretending to touch up their makeup and fix each other’s hair. Her mother changed out of her robe into her dress, a floor length gown with lace overlay and off the shoulder sleeves.

     They posed for a few more pictures, then headed down to the ceremony. They waited inside until the ushers had everyone seated. The wedding coordinator led them out as the quartet began to play Pachelbel’s  _ Canon in D.  _

     The whole day had been a frenzy of activity- getting ready, and managing the twins, and bickering with each other. She turned to her mom and said, “Are you ready?” Suddenly realizing that she was about to get  _ married.  _

     “Yeah, I think so, sweetheart,” she said as she brushed Betty’s hair back from her face. 

     “You look beautiful. FP is really lucky,” she told her, feeling emotional. Their family was about to change, but she couldn’t help but feel like it was for the better.

     “Thank you, Betty. I love you,” she said as she gave her a hug. “Now, stop before you make me cry and I ruin my makeup.”

     Betty laughed and the coordinator told her it was time to walk down the aisle. Polly went first with the twins, who were luckily pretty cooperative. Coordinator lady gave Betty the signal to go, and she began slowly walking to the beat of the music, as they’d practiced the day before. 

     Then, she saw him.

     He was in a black, fitted suit with a red tie and rose boutonnière. He wasn’t wearing his hat and his hair was out in all it glory.  _ Oh my god, focus before you trip and make a fool of yourself.  _ He was just so beautiful, it was unfair.

     She took her place beside Polly and glanced over at Jughead. His eyes were already on her. He gave her a small smile and winked at her. She blushed, looking down, and then over at her mother who was walking down the aisle. 

     She couldn’t help herself. She thought about it. What it would be like if she were the one wearing white down the aisle. What it would be like if he was there waiting for her, looking at her like FP was now looking at her mother. 

     Was that even a realistic possibility? What would people think? Not that it really mattered. It’s not like she would let other people's opinions influence her life choices.

     But, what about when they had kids? And they had to tell them how they met? And why their mom’s mom and dad’s dad are married to each other? Would that be weird? 

_ Calm down, Betty. He just kissed you and you’re already planning to have his children.  _

     But, shouldn’t she figure out if that’s a deal breaker now? There’s no way they could do something casual. She fully accepted that she had already caught feelings. And, hadn’t he been the one to propose giving this a go when they’re out of the house? Surely, he hadn’t meant pining over each other for the next year, just to have a casual hook up one day.

     In her mind it was all or nothing. She was most likely going to be seeing him at every holiday for the rest of her life. If they messed around and she fell for him and it didn’t work out, it would be torture having to see him every year after the fact. There’d be no point in pursuing anything with him unless they were both in it for the long haul.

    On the other hand, if she played it safe and they never tried dating, she may always live with that regret and still have to deal with seeing him every year. Married to another girl. With his own little family. 

_ God, why couldn’t he be ugly or annoying.  _ She supposed there was still a chance that she’d realize he wasn’t right for her. Maybe he’d get on her nerves once they started living together and that would be the end of it. 

     She looked over at him and, again, he had already been looking at her. He didn’t look embarrassed or quickly avert his eyes. He just held her gaze, giving her a soft smile.

_ Are you thinking what I’m thinking? _

     Who was she kidding. He was a boy. He was probably just smiling because of their activities of the previous night. 

 

############

 

     Well, it was certainly bad timing. Here’s this girl. He wants her. He can’t have her. He’s trying to temper his feelings for her after their heated makeout last night. And now, he’s watching her float down the aisle. Looking like a dream. An absolute fantasy come to life. 

     As if that wasn’t going to awaken something in him. 

     Okay, they were seventeen. It’s not like he’d be marrying her any time soon, even if she wasn’t minutes away from becoming his step-sister. But, still. 

     He’d never thought much about getting married before. In the Southside, there weren’t too many marriages that made the institution look appealing, his parents’ included. 

     But, there was a woman who used to watch him and Jellybean when they were little. Mrs. Finicky was older and lived in the neighborhood next to theirs. She always told them that the best part of her day was when her husband came home from work. When it got close to six o’clock, she’d sit by the window and wait for him. He’d walk in the house, kiss her, and tell her that he’d missed her all day. Sometimes he would sit with Jughead and his sister, going through old photo albums and telling them stories about their younger years. He always said she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

     He’d once thought to himself that he would never get married for convenience. He wouldn’t get married because he was lonely. He wouldn’t get married just because it’s what you do. But, if he met a girl and he loved her like Mr. Finicky loved his wife, then it would be worth it to give it a try.

     He’d been watching Betty across the aisle and she looked over at him and caught his eye. He smiled at her and thought,  _ I don’t think it would take much convincing to get me to try with you. _

 

__ The ceremony went by pretty quickly. The officiant gave some generic wedding speech with the usual platitudes about love and marriage. He handed the ring over to his father. They said their vows. 

     He couldn’t help but keep his eyes on Betty. She was absolutely radiant.  _ I can’t believe that girl was in my bed last night,  _ he thought for the hundredth time that day. He honestly forgot to feel sad as the officiant pronounced his dad and her mom husband and wife.

      They kissed and everyone clapped. He walked over and extended his arm to Betty, which she accepted looking shy. 

     “Are we going to be really awkward around each other now?” He asked in her ear as they began to exit.

     She laughed and said, “No, we’re not.” She wrapped her arm tighter around his and squeezed his bicep as they ducked under people throwing rice on their heads. 

     The photographer called them over, as it was time to take some photos while the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour. She led the way down to some scenic spots by the lake. It was hot as hell in his dark suit and he _ hated  _ having his picture taken. He looked over at Betty and had a hard time being too moody about it.

     She let go of his arm to help wrangle Dagwood as Polly carried a crying Juniper. He was not being particularly cooperative, so Jughead ran up behind him, picked him up and gave him a small toss in the air. He squealed as he lifted him over his head and sat him in his shoulders. 

     “Thank you,” Betty said with a soft smile. 

      He shrugged and told her, “My sister used to like being thrown around.” Since his family had been so dysfunctional, he’d always felt some sense of obligation to take care of Jellybean. His parents didn’t pay them much attention, so it was usually Jughead who was playing with her and entertaining her. He’d always had a soft spot for kids.

     They were interrupted by the photographer, who started shouting directions at them. “Okay! Let’s get the husband and wife over here under this tree. Mom with the kiddos, you come stand here beside the groom. Brother and Sister, you can come to the other side of the bride.” 

     He and Betty both snapped their heads to look at each other with wide eyes. They both held back smiles, amused by the absurdity of their relationship. 

     He let Dagwood down off his shoulders, then put his hand on Betty’s back to lead her over to their spot. He hadn’t realized how open the back of her dress was until he felt her tantalizingly soft skin under his. It was like the two of them were magnets and he had no desire to resist the compulsion to touch her.

     “Come on, Sis,” he said lowly in her ear. He was satisfied to see goosebumps appear on her shoulder.

     “Stop that,” she said with a smile and tone that suggested she did not want him to stop at all. 

############

 

     He was trying to torture her. She knew it and he knew it and it was just unfair. He just wouldn’t stop  _ touching  _ her. It was subtle enough that no one would have noticed anything out of the ordinary. Lingering touches under her wrist. His fingers trailing across her back. 

_ How am I supposed to survive this wedding, let along the next year? _

__ She hated it. She loved it. It was such sweet torture. 

     After taking photos in every pose and arrangement imaginable, they were finally excused to go to the reception. 

     Dagwood, who had become very attached to Jughead that afternoon, ran up to him and held his hand. Betty caught up and grabbed his other hand. She and Jughead exchanged a glance over his head, then simultaneously swung him up into the air. 

     “Aw, Aunt Betty and Uncle Jughead! How sweet!” Polly cooed, coming up behind them with Juniper. She shot Betty a look that suggested she maybe hadn’t missed how handsy he had been that afternoon.

     They made their way to the shaded patio where cocktails and hor d’oeuvres were being served.

     “I’ll go and grab us some drinks,” Jughead proposed as Polly took the twins up to their hotel room for a break. “What would you like?”

     “Do you think they’d serve us alcohol?” Betty asked. It would certainly make the event more bearable. She was dreading making small talk with a bunch of adults from her mother’s life. Plus she wouldn’t mind taking the edge off of the sexual tension between her and Jughead. 

     “It’s only five, Betty,” he responded, and she suddenly panicked. He had just opened up to her last night about his father’s alcoholic past. Was she making him uncomfortable? Was he judging her? She had also been the one to suggest drinking at the beach house. Did he think she had a drinking problem? She rarely ever drank, only a few times with Kevin and Veronica, and only enough to be tipsy. But, he didn’t know that. 

     “Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t even thinking. I’m sorry, you’re right, I don’t know what I was thinking,” she started incoherently backtracking.

     “Betty,” he started with a smile, “I just know it’s going to be a long night, and I don’t know if it’s wise for you to start drinking already. Have you even eaten anything yet today?”

     “We had some fruit and veggie trays in the bridal suite,” she told him.

     “That sounds horrible. I’m going to stalk these waiters and load up some plates with appetizers. We should also drink some water. I don’t know about you, but I am dying of thirst.” She was admittedly pretty parched and glistening after spending an hour baking in the August sun. 

     “That sounds perfect,” she agreed. “How about I get the water, you get the food, and we’ll reconvene here.”

     “You got it, boss,” he assented with an endearingly dorky salute.

     She made her way over to the bar and waited in a short line of people. 

     “Well, you must be Betty,” she heard from behind her. She turned and found a guy slightly older than herself. He was particularly tall, with sandy blond hair and a tan suit.

     “I’m sorry, do I know you?” She asked, hoping it wasn’t a relative she should recognize.

     “No, but I’ve heard a lot about you from your mother. I’m Jonathan,” he said, extending his hand to shake hers. “I go to Riverdale Community College and work part time at the Register.”

     “Oh, yeah. I’m sure I’ve heard your name before. Nice to meet you.” She had  _ definitely  _ heard her mother rage about Jonathan’s incompetence at work. He’d apparently only been given the job because his mother was friends with her’s. 

     He leaned in closer and said, “It’s funny, you look just like your mom. But, like, younger and sexier.”  _ Yikes.  _ There was just something about his vibe and his tone and the way he was all up in her personal space that sent a shiver down her spine. 

     “Oh, yeah, thanks,” she said, unsure how to respond. 

     “You’re eighteen, right?” He asked, rather bluntly. 

     “Uh, I’m still seventeen, actually,” she said, trying to lean away from him.

     “Really?” He said, sounding genuinely surprised. “You look  _ much  _ older than that.”

     “Well, I’m not!” She said with a forced smile. 

     “A lot of people think I’m older than I really am because I’m pretty tall, if you didn’t notice.” He said, sounding smug about it. “But, I’m actually only twenty-one. Hope that’s not too old for you.” He gave her a smarmy wink.

     “Oh, I’m not really sure that....” It was truly astounding that he was not picking up on her social cues that she was absolutely creeped out. Or, she supposed, it could be that he just didn’t care. 

     “I really love your dress,” he told her before she could finish her sentence. He ran his eyes over her body and she had never felt so objectified. She rarely went to parties and typically dressed in more modest clothes that let her go unnoticed by most boys her age. She knew she looked different when she’d seen herself in the mirror earlier, but whereas before she felt confident, she now just felt exposed. 

     “Let me get you a drink,” he said, as if it wasn’t a free open bar. He put a hand on her waist as they neared the front of the line. It made her skin crawl, but for some reason she felt frozen. 

     “Actually, I need two waters for me and my-,“ she balked at referring to Jughead as her step-brother for the first time. “...Friend.” 

     “Oh, come on, your mom just got married! Let’s celebrate. Tequila shots?”

     “No, thank you. Just water will be-“

     “Come on, Cooper! It’s us and a bunch of old people. Let’s have some fun at this wedding,” he said, bouncing his eyebrows suggestively.  _ Barf. _

     “No, I really don’t-“

     “She said no,” came a firm voice from behind her. She turned and,  _ thank God,  _ it was Jughead. She wasn’t sure how long he’d been there, but he seemed to have caught the gist of their interaction.

     She peeled herself away from

Jonathan, moving to stand next to Jughead and wrapped a hand around his arm. 

     “Well, hello there, my good man,” Jonathan said, extending his hand to Jughead, which he ignored. “You must be Betty’s new brother.”

     “ _ Step- _ brother.” They responded in unison.

     Jonathan laughed. “Yeah, whatever. You wanna do shots with us, dude?”

     “No thanks,  _ dude _ ,” he responded. They had just reached the front of the line, so Jughead leaned over and asked the bartender for two waters. 

     “Well, you guys are tons of fun,” Jonathan said sarcastically.

     Neither of them responded. Jughead grabbed their waters and led the way back to the high table where he’d left their plates of food. 

     “I’ll catch you on the dance floor later, Betty!” He called after them as they walked away.

     Jughead scoffed, looking annoyed. “Are you okay?” He asked Betty.

     “Yes, of course.” She said, shaking her head. “I mean it’s not like he did anything. He was just being… I don’t know. I’m fine.” It was true. It’s not like he  _ did _ anything. He just made her feel uncomfortable. Why was she feeling so shaken?

     Jughead looked at her skeptically. “You don’t look like you’re fine.”

     “It’s just… it’s the first time I’ve ever been…,” she tried to think of how to explain herself, “...in that particular situation. I know that sort of thing happens all the time. But, it’s never happened to  _ me.  _ Just like, how he was  _ leering  _ at me and totally ignoring how uncomfortable I was. It was… unsettling. But, I’m fine. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.” 

     He took a deep breath, then looked over at Jonathan who was now sitting at the bar. He seemed to make up his mind about something, then started walking over towards him. Betty quickly went after him, grabbing onto his arm.

     “What are you doing?” She asked. She had never seen him look so intense before. 

     “I’m gonna go talk to that asshole outside,” he answered, trying to break away from her.

_ Whoa.  _ Since she’d known him, which admittedly wasn’t very long, she’d always had a hard time imagining him in a gang, fighting and intimidating people. He was just too soft and kind. But, it was like a switch had flipped and he was in Serpent Jughead mode. 

     Shouldn’t she be scared of this side of him? Why was it so…  _ attractive _ ?

     “Jug, stop. He was being pushy, but he didn’t do anything that warrants a… talking outside.”  _ Whatever that means. _

     He stopped and looked her in the eye, but didn’t lose his intensity. “If he made you feel uncomfortable, he should know that he was out of line.” 

     “Let’s not make a scene at the wedding, Jug. Hey,” she ran her hand up the side of his face. “I’m fine. I promise. Just, let it go.”

     He took a deep breath and leaned his face into her hand. “Okay,” he said softly, “If you’re sure.”

     After a moment, she pulled her hand back and looked around for anyone who may have seen their interaction, but it didn’t seem like anyone had been paying attention. 

     “Let’s go eat some food,” she suggested. “I think you might be getting a little hangry.” 

     This seemed to break the tension, because he looked at her and they both started laughing. “You might be right,” he agreed.

     They ate quietly for a little while and Betty wasn’t sure what to say. Finally Jughead broke the silence.

     “I’m sorry if I overreacted,” he said softly. 

     “It’s okay,” she answered. It really was. It was actually reassuring to see him lose his cool. She wanted to get to know everything about him, even the imperfect stuff. Turns out he was human after all.

     “I hope I didn’t freak you out,” he asked, smiling nervously. 

     “No, you didn’t. I’m really glad you stepped in. I should have been able to speak up and remove myself from the situation, but I don’t know, for some reason I just  _ froze. _ So, thank you for getting me out of there.”

     He looked at her for a moment and asked, “Do you know how to throw a punch?”

     “Do I look like I know how to throw a punch?” She responded with a smile. 

     He laughed. “You don’t. But, you  _ should.  _ I’m gonna assume that’s not the last guy who is ever going to creep you out. You should know how to defend yourself. And have the confidence to defend yourself. I’ll teach you, if you want.”

     Her mind was flooded with explicit imagery. The two of them sweaty and half dressed, rolling around on her living room floor. “Yeah, I think that’s a great idea.”

 

############

 

     When he’d initially seen that guy,  _ Jonathan _ , he’d felt his stomach drop.  _ Well, that didn’t take long _ , he’d thought to himself. But, as he watched them interacting, he saw how she recoiled from him entering her personal space. He immediately made his way over.  _ Just to make sure she’s okay and definitely not at all due to jealousy _ .

     He heard him ignore her multiple times when she’d refused his offer to get her a drink. He’d seen her lean away from him every time he came in close to whisper in her ear. And he’d put his slimy  _ hand _ on her.

     So, he intervened and extricated her from the situation.  _ Not at all due to jealousy.  _

     He could see it in her eyes and in her body language that she still felt shaken after he’d pulled her away. It made him see red and he wanted to pummel that guy for making her feel that way. But, Betty was right, it wasn’t the time or place. He wouldn’t do that to his dad and Alice. He also wasn’t sure if he was ready for Betty to see that side of him. He knew she’d have to eventually, if she was going to be in his life. But, maybe not yet.

     There were plenty of guys on the Southside who treated women like Jonathan had or worse. The difference was, girls on the Southside rarely took their crap. Betty was an easy target because she was so conditioned by her mother to be nice and passive and non-confrontational. He used to be like that, too. Then, he learned to stand up for himself out of necessity. For survival. 

     So, he proposed teaching her to defend herself. What if he wasn’t there next time? What if some creep pressured her into things she wasn’t comfortable with? Or physically forced her? He balked at the idea.

     She needed to know what to do in those situations. He’d taught plenty of younger Serpents how to fight, and he was sure she’d be a quick learner. She definitely had some fire in her.

 

     It wasn’t long before the doors to the reception hall opened and the crowd was ushered inside. He plucked their name cards from a table by the entrance and was disappointed to see that they were seated at different tables. She went to sit with Polly and some other family members, while he was at a table with some of his dad’s friends. 

     Alice and FP made their grand entrance. They danced their first dance as husband and wife. Dinner was served. He could see Betty across the next table and tried to force himself not to watch her like a creep. She and Polly seemed to have their hands full with managing the kids.

     When he was finishing his filet mignon, his phone lit up with a text. 

 

**Betty:** You look like you’re having fun.

 

     He looked over at her table and caught her eye. She smiled and did a little girlie wiggle finger wave. Polly must have stepped out with the twins, because their seats were empty. 

 

**Jughead:** My table is in the midst of a riveting debate on the superiority of Budweiser vs. Coors. Some provocative points are being made. How’s it going over there?

**Betty:** My grandma is giving a Ted Talk on the decline of morals and propriety. Good News: If I dress a bit more conservatively, there is still hope for me!

 

     He looked over and she was shaking her head at him, looking miserable. 

 

**Jughead:** Sounds like a blast. Want me to get you out of there?

 

     After a minute with no response, he looked over and saw that some woman he didn’t recognize had sat next to Betty and engaged her in conversation. 

     He sat at his table for a while, sometimes joining in conversation, sometimes messing around on his phone. Eventually his dad came to sit next to him.

     “Hey, you having a good time?” He asked.

     His dad looked so genuinely happy, he withheld a sarcastic comment, and said, “Yeah, it’s a nice wedding, dad.”

     “Why don’t you ask Betty to dance?” He said, gesturing to where she now stood, talking to an older man. 

     “Yeah, I don’t really  _ dance, _ ” he responded truthfully. 

     “Oh, come on. You gotta dance.”

     His dad looked at him expectantly, but he didn’t respond. 

     “Listen, I’d really like for you two to get along. I bet it would make her happy to go dance, and there aren’t any other kids your age to ask her. Please?”

     “We get along just fine,”  _ you truly have no idea,  _ “But, yeah, I’ll go ask her.”

     His dad clapped his shoulder, saying, “Thanks, son. I really appreciate you making an effort here.”

     He pushed away the creeping feeling of guilt threatening to return. It’s not like he _meant_ to fall for his step-sister. In fact, he was very prepared to despise her and be a moody little bitch about the whole thing. 

     He looked at her across the room as he made his way towards her.  _ It’s not my fault she’s absolutely irresistible.  _

__ He came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She quickly looked back and smiled when she saw that it was him.

     “Excuse me,” he said, addressing the man she’d been talking to. He turned to her and said, “My dad wanted me to ask you to dance with me.” 

     He recognized it was a total cop out to tell her it was his dad’s idea, but it was his first time asking a girl to dance and he was weirdly nervous about it.  _ Sorry I’m so lame _ , he internally apologized to her. 

     She smiled knowingly and said, “Well, do  _ you _ want to dance with me, or is it just your dad who wants you to dance with me?” 

     He took a deep breath and held back a smile. “Elizabeth Cooper, I would love nothing more than to dance with you. Please give me the honor and privilege of escorting you to the dance floor.”

     “There we go,” she said with a beaming smile as she wrapped her arm around his. 

     He led her to the dance floor, where they were the youngest couple by about a decade. “Come on Eileen” was playing, and Betty immediately started singing along. She grabbed his hands and started jumping and dancing to the beat, looking completely adorable. He was acutely aware of how awkward he must have looked, shuffling his feet and swaying like a doof.

     “I’m so bad at this,” he yelled over the music. 

     “You look great!” She responded, very politely lying.

     They continued dancing like this for a few more songs, with him just doing the same awkward side step, while she bounced and twirled. Clearly she’d done this sort of thing before. She knew the words to all the songs and looked so beautiful with a big smile and rosy cheeks from the heat of the dance floor. 

     Suddenly, the pace of the music changed as the opening notes of a slow song began. She stopped dancing and suddenly looked shy. 

     “I’m so thirsty, do you wanna go get something to drink?” She asked, clearly giving him an out. 

     “How about after this song?” He said, pulling her in to dance with him. He looked around and did what the other guys were doing, holding her hand in one of his and putting the other on her waist. 

     She smiled, biting her bottom lip as she put her hand on his shoulder. “Okay, after this song,” she agreed.

     She drifted closer to him and he slid his hand around to the small of her back. He could smell her perfume and her sweat and it was just  _ unfair _ that he couldn’t lean in to kiss her. 

     He heard her exhale a deep breath and he looked down at her. She met his gaze with a tight smile and he figured she was probably thinking along the same lines he was. 

     “Hi,” he said, softly.

     “Hi,” she responded.

     “I’ll have you know, this is my first ever slow dance with a girl,” he told her.

     “Well, isn’t this a weekend of firsts.” She said with a smile. 

     They hadn’t talked about the night before, and he wasn’t sure if he should say something. He supposed there wasn’t anything to say. There was nothing they could do but wait. 

     They danced in silence and he noticed the song was “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,” which he figured was accurate and appropriate for their situation. 

     At some point, he realized he’d been running his thumb along her back to the beat of the music and figured it was okay since she hadn’t told him to stop. She seemed to melt into him as they danced and moved her hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck. She was so close, he could feel her breath on his neck.  _ God, this is such bullshit,  _ he thought to himself.  _ What I wouldn’t give to get out of this motherfucking pickle. _

     At the conclusion of the song, he pulled away and thanked her for dancing with him.

     “I am so hot, do you want to step outside with me to see if it’s any cooler?” She asked.

     “Yes, that sounds amazing,” he told her. “Let me run to the bathroom first. Do you want to get us some water?”

     “Because that worked out so well last time?” She responded as they both laughed. 

     “I’ll make it quick and meet you at the bar in case you need back up.”

     “Sounds like a plan,” she agreed. 

     He made his way to the bathroom, where he immediately smelled something funky and heard the sound of retching. He turned the corner and saw Jonathan himself bent over the toilet, puking his guts up in a stall with the door wide open.

     “You okay there, bud?” Jughead asked from a safe distance. 

     He turned and seemed to recognize him. “Those shots were a terrible idea,” he croaked. 

     “I can see that,” he responded. “You gonna be okay?” He asked again.

     “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, laying his face on the toilet seat. 

     He knew he could have done more to help him, like get him water or find the people he came with, but he decided to just let karma run its course and leave him be.

 

############

 

     She felt gross after all the dancing in the hot ballroom. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun. Jughead had clearly been out of his comfort zone, so she appreciated that he stayed out and danced with her for as long as he had. 

     When he came up behind her, she was running an ice cube along the back of her neck. 

     “Oh my gosh, I am  _ dying, _ ” she said, handing him his water. 

     “I think that counts as my cardio for the next year or so,” he said before chugging his entire glass. “Ready to head outside?”

     “Sure,” she said, sliding off her barstool. He put his arm out for her and she accepted it as they made their way out to the lake.

     They walked in silence and Betty tried to figure out what to start talking about. Were they just going back to ignoring the sexual tension? Or could they at least address it now that it was out in the open? They couldn’t just pretend last night never happened, right? Or, would that be better? As she was dithering about the pros and cons of either scenario, he interrupted her thoughts by asking if she wanted to sit on a bench. 

     She assented and sat beside him, leaving a few inches of space.

     “Well, I have to admit this wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” he told her.

     “Yeah, I had a lot of fun,” she agreed. 

     Once again, silence fell over them. It was the first time they struggled for conversation since they’d first met. Did they totally ruin everything by making out? Were they going to be super weird with each other now?

     “Betty,” he started, sounding serious.

     “Yeah?” She asked, very curious as to what he was about to tell her. 

     “I just…” he stopped speaking, seemingly unsure of what to say, and let out a deep breath. He reached over to grab her and and squeezed it, putting their joined hands on his leg.

     “Is this okay?” He asked quietly.

     “Yeah.” Surely holding hands was okay,  _ right _ ?

     “It’s just…” he started again, but still couldn’t seem to figure out what to say. 

     “It sucks,” she finished for him and they both laughed.

     “God, Betty. It really sucks. Are we allowed to talk about that? How much it sucks?”

     “I don’t know. I don’t see how talking could be against the rules.”

     “Rules?” He asked. “We have rules, now?”

     “I don’t know, maybe we should?” She hadn’t thought of it before, but it suddenly seemed like a good idea. “I mean, like, holding hands is okay.”

     “Noted,” he said, squeezing her hand. 

     “And talking is okay. Like, about us. If there’s anything you wanted to talk about.”

     “Okay,” he agreed. “But, no kissing, right?” He asked with a sly smile.

     She laughed. “No! I believe that would be against the rules.”

     “Okay, just checking,” he said. “It would have just been really upsetting if I hadn’t been kissing you, only to find out later that it wasn’t against the rules and I’d been missing out this whole time. So, I’m glad we’re getting this all out in the open.”

     She laughed. It felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulders to know that it wasn’t just her who wished they could be doing something  _ more _ . “Yeah, I’ve never had a step-brother before, but I don’t think you’re supposed to kiss them.”

     “Okay, okay. Just thought I’d ask. So, to summarize, we can hold hands and  _ talk, _ but kissing is out of the question. Any other rules?” He asked. 

     “Well, I suppose we can add rules as… situations arise.” She said. Were they allowed to see other people? She hated the idea, but recognized it would be kind of ridiculous to tell her step-brother, who she was not kissing or dating, that he wasn’t allowed to see anyone else because she may or may not want to date him at some unknown time in the distant future. 

     “Alright. Talking and hand holding it is. But, I have to warn you,” he said, looking very serious, “I’m going to hold the shit out of your hand, Betty Cooper.” 

     She busted out laughing at his ridiculousness. Why was he so adorably funny?

     “It sounds like we’ve got a fun year ahead of us,” she said sarcastically. 

     “I think it will be good,” he told her seriously. “I mean, I really wish it didn’t have to be like  _ this. _ But, I’d rather have you this way than not at all.”

     “Yeah, I know what you mean,” she said, rubbing her thumb along his knuckles. 

     “You know, there’s still a very good chance you’re going to hate me after living with me. Or, realize that you’re way out of my league and find someone better. And that would just solve all our problems, wouldn’t it?” He said it with a smile, but she could sense his underlying insecurity. 

     “I worry about the same things, you know,” she told him honestly. 

     “Well, that’s ridiculous.”

     “And, why is that ridiculous?” She asked. 

     He looked at her for a moment. “You just… you don’t need to worry about that stuff, okay?”

     “Okay,” she agreed, knowing very well that she would have raging anxiety about those concerns and many more. 

     “Can I tell you that you look so beautiful today? Like torturously beautiful? Is that against the rules?”

     She laughed, saying “I’ll allow it.”

     “Thank you for allowing me the privilege of paying you a compliment,” he joked.

     “Any time,” she responded. “You look quite dashing as well.” 

     “Dashing? I don’t think I’ve ever been dashing before,” he said, looking pleased. 

     “Well, you look dashing today,” she told him. “You weren’t the only one being tortured.” 

     “Betty Cooper, do you have a  _ thing  _ for your temporary step-brother?” He asked, feigning shock.

     “ _ Temporary  _ step-brother? Is that what you’re calling yourself now?” 

     “I figure once we turn eighteen and move out, we’re just two adults whose parents happen to be married to each other. The sibling-esque aspect of our relationship is definitely temporary,” he explained. 

     “Oh, okay. So, that’s how you’re going to sleep at night for the next year?”

     “Yes, it is,” he told her.

     “Well, I look forward to our temporarily platonic relationship.”

     “As do I. It’s going to be so aggressively platonic, you’re not even going to know what to do with yourself.”

  
  



	6. Cause You’ve Turned Me On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day one of cohabitation in Riverdale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge shout out to Izzy!! She’s my beta and I love her (@bettsplusfive)
> 
> Thank you to all of you for your kind comments!! Means the world to me 🖤🖤

     She woke up in her own bed for the first time since June. It was odd, because her bedroom looked the same, but she felt so different. After her month of independence in California and fleeting tryst with Jughead, she felt a little older and wiser than the girl who had decorated this room years before.

     She made her way to the bathroom, which was shared between her room and Polly’s. Well,  _ Jughead’s  _ she supposed it was, now. She figured he was still asleep, but locked his door anyway for good measure before turning the shower on. 

     His toothbrush was in the holder next to hers. His shampoo and body wash were now squeezed in the small space between her various products in the shower. It was so odd that her private space was now also his. 

     As she showered, she moved some of her stuff around and took out less used items to create more room for his things. His blue scrubby puff thing hung on the shower knob pressed next to her pink one and it felt oddly intimate. 

     Stepping out, she dried herself off with her favorite fluffy towel and noticed the steamy mirror. After thinking for a moment, she put a little soap on her finger and wrote a simple “hi” on the glass. 

     Jughead must have woken up at some point, because she heard the handle jiggle as he tried to open the door. She unlocked it for him, and was faced with his deliciously disheveled morning look. His hair was wild and he was in a t-shirt and boxers, looking like he had on the night she’d spent with him. 

     “Sorry, I-“ he started, but then stopped as he looked her over in her towel. Dragging his eyes back up to hers, he let out a deep breath and shook his head. 

     She smiled, knowing exactly what he was thinking. “I’m sorry, you can have the bathroom. I’m done in here. You can just knock if I’m ever taking too long.” 

     He just nodded in response. As she shut the door behind her, she heard him mumble to himself something that sounded like  _ total bullshit. _

     Standing in front of her dresser, she contemplated what to wear. She eventually decided on a little summery dress. Normally she would dress more casually if she wasn’t planning on leaving the house, but it was their first day living together. She supposed she could make  _ some _ effort to look cute, just to make sure she kept his interest. 

     They had driven home from the wedding the day before without their parents, who were staying at the resort for a few more nights. They wouldn’t be taking their full honeymoon until later in the fall, when they both could take more time off work. 

     So, Betty went down to the empty kitchen to raid the fridge for some breakfast food. She had woken up pretty late, as she was recovering from their busy weekend, but she couldn’t imagine that Jughead would be the type to complain about eating breakfast at lunch time. The fridge was much more fully stocked than it had been when it was just her and her mom living together. They actually had  _ bacon.  _ And not even turkey bacon! Betty excitedly opened up the package and started making breakfast. 

     After a while, she could hear Jughead’s descent down the stairs. Turning the corner into the kitchen, he groaned and said, “Oh, Betty, you are an angel.”

     He came up behind her, putting a hand on her waist as he peeked over her shoulder to investigate what she was cooking. He plucked a piece of bacon that was cooling on the plate.

     “That’s too hot!” She warned him as he took a bite.

     “I don’t even care, it’s so good,” he said as he ate it.

     He continued to hover over her, sampling the food as she cooked it. She swatted him away, but he kept sneaking around her and it turned into a game, trying to keep him away. It seemed like he always had an excuse to put his hands on her- pushing her hip to the side, reaching around her, tickling her to get her out of the way. 

     It was domestic and adorable and  _ unfair. _ It was a cruel tease of what could be one day far in the future under very different circumstances. 

 

############

 

     Cold showers. He could already tell that his future would be full of cold showers. 

     She was trying to kill him with her little dress and her amazing legs and  _ oh, god she was so good at cooking.  _ She was teasing him and he  _ knew  _ it and two could play that game. He could see how she reacted every time he put his hands on her. He could work with that.

 

     After eating and cleaning up in the kitchen, Betty reminded him that they both still needed to do their summer reading for AP English. They didn’t even offer honors classes at Southside, let alone AP. When he’d gone to register at Riverdale earlier that summer, they allowed him to enroll since he’d always had good grades in English. He was nervous, but mostly excited to be challenged for the first time.

     The book they were supposed to read over the summer was  _ Moby Dick.  _ He was surprised that Betty hadn’t read it yet (she seemed to be the type that just  _ would _ ), but she explained that between her internship and the wedding, she hadn’t had the time. His only excuse was that he was a chronic procrastinator and never started an assignment until the eleventh hour. He needed a little panic to set a fire under his ass.

     With only two weeks left of the summer and a dense six hundred page book to read, they were trying to figure out how to expedite the process a bit. 

     “What if we alternated reading chapters?” Betty proposed. “Like, I’ll read the first chapter and summarize it for you and then you can read the next one and so on. Then we each only end up reading half the chapters.”

     “We’re pressed for time here, Betts. That will take forever.” Jughead responded. 

     “We still have two weeks! We can do that in two weeks. What did you have in mind?” She asked.

     “Well, I have to go back to work tomorrow, so I don’t have as much time as you do. I was thinking we could just read the Cliffs Notes and watch the movie?” He told her, though he had a feeling she wouldn’t go for it. 

     “ _ Cliffs Notes _ ? Isn’t that cheating?” She sounded scandalized.

     “It’s not cheating! It’s being efficient,” he rationalized. “Have you tried reading this book, Betty? I love books. I can devour a book in days. But, this shit is _slow._ ” It was honestly a much more challenging read than anything they’d been assigned at Southside. 

     She let out a breath. “Okay, yeah, I tried reading the first chapter and I know what you mean,” she conceded. “What if we tried… reading the first and last sentence of each paragraph?”

     “I feel like a thoughtful summary of the most important information written by someone who’s read the book will be more helpful than just skipping over parts,” he countered. 

     She looked at him for a moment before responding, “Okay, let’s do this. We’ll run to the bookstore to get your Cliffs Notes. You can read the chapter summary, I’ll skim over the chapter in the book, and then we’ll discuss. I can take notes, too, so that we have them to reference later.”

     “That sounds like a reasonable compromise,” he told her. It still seemed pretty ambitious to him, considering the book had over a hundred chapters, but he did want to be prepared to make a good impression at Riverdale High. He didn’t want to be labeled as some Southside fuck up who causes trouble and doesn’t care about school. It was important to him that they realize kids from the Southside are just as capable of success as their Northside counterparts.

 

     So, they drove downtown to the little local bookstore. He held her hand, as he always did when he drove now. It was ridiculous how such a simple thing could make him so very happy.  _ God, who am I? And when did I get so fucking cheesy? _ he thought to himself. 

     When they got there, he found Moby Dick on the rack of Cliffs Notes. Betty also grabbed a new notebook, pens, highlighters, and post-it notes from the stationary section.

     “Oh, you’re one of  _ those _ people,” he commented after eyeing her basket.

     He wasn’t judging as it was ineffably  _ her, _ but she sounded a bit defensive when she responded, “I haven’t gotten anything for school, yet! I like to start the year with fresh supplies.”

     “I’m just teasing you,” he told her. 

     “Oh, well, the joke will be on you when you come knocking on my door looking for a highlighter!” She retorted with a smile.

     “I don’t think I’ve highlighted anything before in my life,” he admitted. “But, you can grab me a pack of pens if you want.”

     “Blue or black?” She asked with an expression that made it seem like his answer was very important to her. 

     “Black,” he told her without hesitation.

     She nodded as if it was the answer she was expecting and went to grab them for him.

 

     “Miss Cooper! I haven’t seen you in much this summer,” the clerk said as they approached the counter. He’d seen him before. There was no bookstore on the Southside, so he found himself shopping here fairly often. He was an older man who wore a thick sweater year round, apparently oblivious to the summer heat. Jughead respected his commitment to his aesthetic. 

     “I was actually out of town for an internship. I’m surprised my mom didn’t tell you about it. She likes to brag every chance she gets,” Betty said with a smile. She was so good at making small talk with adults. It was a skill that varied widely for Jughead, depending on the adult in question. 

     “Well, you don’t say! I’ve always known you’d be destined for big things. And who’s this you’ve brought with you?” He said, motioning to Jughead. “I’ve seen you in here before. Murder mysteries, correct? Some fiction, some not.”

     “That is eerily accurate,” He told him. 

     “This is Jughead Jones,” she announced, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Jughead, this is Mr. Hall. He owns the store.”

     Mr. Hall reached over the counter to shake his hand. “I’m so glad you two book lovers have found each other,” he said fondly. 

     Betty quickly withdrew her hand from his shoulder. “Oh! Actually Jughead is my step-brother. His dad just got married to my mom this weekend,” she informed him. Although he was very aware that he was her step-brother, he still hated hearing her say it. 

     “Oh, is that right? How delightful! Well, send my regards to the newlyweds. Tell your mother she can have a book on the house the next time she’s in.”

     “I’ll be sure to do that!” she told him. 

 

     He realized that he had to be more careful in public. After spending so much time alone with her that weekend, he’d grown comfortable flirting with her and touching her more than what would be appropriate for their relationship. While they were in the store, he had to remind himself not to touch her waist or lean in close to whisper something in her ear. Clearly Mr. Hall still picked up on a certain vibe between them. 

     Once they had retreated to the safety of the car, he decided to test the waters by putting a hand on her leg as he drove. It wasn’t  _ technically  _ against any rule they’d established (really the only thing that she’d specified as out of bounds was kissing), but he was still nervous about crossing a line and making her uncomfortable. He was touching her bare skin, as her little summery dress was bunched up in her lap. He chanced a glance in her direction and saw her biting her bottom lip, looking like she was forcing back a smile. 

     “Is this allowed?” He asked, giving her leg a little squeeze. He looked over at her and she only nodded in response.

     After a minute of driving in silence, she placed her and over his. She ran her thumb over his fingers and let out a deep breath. The air was thick and he’d never felt more turned on by such a simple thing as touching a girl’s leg. It was a sad state of affairs. 

 

############

 

     Betty rarely left things till the last minute. She was a planner who liked to turn in her assignments well ahead of time. So, the summer reading thing was kind of stressing her out. It had been easy to put out of her mind with everything else going on this summer, but now that she started working on it, she realized it was going to take much longer than expected. 

     It was really nice having Jughead there to tackle it with her. He was surprisingly cavalier about the whole thing, considering her mother told her he was at the top of his class at Southside. She had a feeling it was probably less academically challenging in comparison to Riverdale, based on what he’d told her about the school. Still, she could tell he was very intelligent and well-read based on their discussions of the book. He seemed like one of those annoying people who hardly does any studying and then aces all of their tests without really trying.

     She made them snacks as they worked, and then more snacks when Jughead finished them. She figured she should keep him fed and happy since he was humoring her by participating in her intense book analysis. She recognized that she was probably going overboard, but being overly prepared helped to assuage her anxiety over the possibility of failing their first test or assignment of the year. 

     He sat beside her, reading his Cliffs Notes as she tried to get the important details from the book itself. She was nervously bouncing her leg and Jughead seemed to notice, since he reached over and placed his hand on her thigh. He kept working as if nothing had happened. She took a moment to stop reading and relish the feeling of his hand against her skin. 

     It definitely wasn’t sibling behavior. At all. But, it wasn’t like they were hooking up, right? Obviously they couldn’t let anyone else see them like this, but surely it was okay when they were alone? It was just his  _ hand _ on her  _ leg.  _ Not exactly scandalous. She made a mental note to text Veronica about having a sleepover ASAP, because she needed some outside perspective. 

     “You okay there, Betty?” He asked as she realized she’d been staring out the window.

     “Sorry! I just zoned out there for a minute,” she explained. 

     “Distracted?” He asked with a smug little grin as he squeezed her leg.

     “ _ No _ ,” she said, bringing her attention back to her book. She could feel her cheeks flaming. 

 

     At some point, they were interrupted by a pounding on the door. 

     “Expecting someone?” He asked.

     “No,” she said, rising from her chair. “Maybe someone looking for my mom?”

     She made her way down the hall and opened the front door. Standing on the other side were three Southside Serpents, all about her age.

     “Ohh,  _ that’s  _ why he’s not answering his phone,” said the tallest one, a dark haired boy, as he looked her over. 

     “Are you friends of Jughead?” She asked, her voice coming out in that annoying high-pitched, overly cheerful tone that she hated. 

     “What are you guys doing here?” Jughead called as he made his way down the hall behind her. 

     The smallest one, a beautiful girl who looked like a total badass, looked around Betty to talk to Jughead. “We were texting you all afternoon because we knew you were back in town,” she explained. “Wanted to make sure you hadn’t been murdered by a rogue Stepford Wife.”

     As Jughead came to the door, Betty stepped out of the way to let him talk to his friends. Should she go back to the kitchen? She felt awkward hovering. They were his friends and this was his house now, so really there was no reason they couldn’t come over. She backed out of the entryway, still able to overhear their conversation. 

     “This house is sweet, man. You gonna invite us in or what?” One of the boys asked. 

     “Betty and I are actually a little busy at the moment,” Jughead told him. 

     “Busy doing _ what _ ? Polishing their fine china?” The girl asked sarcastically. Betty figured this must be the Toni she’d heard so much about. She hadn’t given her much thought after Jughead explained their lack of chemistry. Now, her jealousy returned full force after seeing how attractive she was. 

     “We’re working on something for school,” he explained.

     “It’s August, Jones,” the boy said. “What the hell kind of school work do you have to do now?”

     “It’s for an AP class. We have summer reading to do,” he told them. He sounded much more short and abrasive than when he spoke to her. 

     “Dude, that is so lame,” the boy responded. “I am so glad I’m not the one that has to go to Riverdale.”

     “We just came all the way across town to see you. You seriously can’t take a break to hang out with us? I know you have the house to yourself,” the girl said.

     “He just wants to keep  _ Blondie  _ to himself,” the boy interjected. “That girl is _ hot _ , man. If you’re into that wholesome Northside vibe. Which, I could be-“

     “Shut your mouth _ ,  _ Sweet Pea!” Jughead hissed. 

     “That is his  _ step-sister _ , you idiot,” the girl said. “Obviously he’s not interested in her. Plus, she’s totally too Marcia Brady for him.”

     “Who’s Marcia Brady?” The boy asked.

     “How have you never seen the Brady Bunch?” The girl responded.

     “Would you both just shut up and stop talking about her? I am dangerously close to shutting this door in your faces.” Jughead told them, sounding heated.

     “Alright, calm down,” the girl said. “Step-sister is an off-limits topic of conversation. Noted. Now, can you please just let us in?”

     She heard Jughead sigh. “ _ Fine. _ But, take your shoes off before you come in. I don’t want to get in trouble because you tracked dirt through the house,” he told them, sounding exasperated.

     “Are you serious?” The girl asked at the same time the boy who hadn’t spoken yet said, “I’ve never had to take my shoes off in someone’s house before!” He almost sounded excited about it. 

     “Yes, I am serious,” said Jughead, indeed sounding very serious. “Things have been going well here and I’m not trying to fuck that up because Sweet Pea’s nasty boots stained the carpet.” 

     “Okay, okay,” she conceded. “We’ll be on our best behavior, use our inside voices, and not touch anything that looks expensive.”

     Betty felt a little rush of thrill go through her at the prospect of meeting his Serpent friends. She wanted to see this side of him that she’d had such a hard time imagining. On the other hand, she was kind of dreading the interaction because that girl  _ clearly  _ wasn’t a fan of her or the Northside. 

 

############

 

     The last thing he had been expecting was his friends showing up unannounced. Obviously he was going to introduce them to Betty at some point, but he was hoping to have a little time to mentally prepare beforehand. It was so strange having people together who knew completely different sides of him. 

     Leading them into the kitchen, Betty abruptly stood up from the table. He shot her an apologetic look and telepathically told her,  _ I’m so sorry about my friends. They are idiots, but I love them like family. They will come around to you once they get to know you. Please ignore anything derisive they say about you and/or the Northside. I’m not saying it’s okay, it’s just all very complicated.  _

__ He wasn’t sure if she’d pick up on any of those sentiments, but it was worth a shot.

     “Guys, this is Betty. Betty, this is Toni, that’s Sweet Pea, and this is Fangs,” he said indicating each of his friends.

     “Wow, it looks like a total nerd convention in here,” Sweet Pea said, assessing their work space on the table.

     “Says the kid who couldn’t even pass gym class,” said Toni. “Hey, Betty,” she greeted with a little salute.

     “Hi, nice to meet you guys. Please, sit down,” she said, gesturing to the table. He knew her well enough now to pick up on her moods and she was definitely nervous. He felt helpless, not being able to do or say anything to reassure her in front of his friends.

     Sweet Pea sat down and picked up her book, closing it to look at the cover. “Moby  _ what? _ ” He exclaimed. “This looks way cooler than the books they make us read at Southside. What kind of class is this for?”

     “Moby Dick is a classic work of literature, dumbass,” Toni said before turning her attention to Betty. “We’re not all as asinine as our friend here.”

     “You wanna take me up to your room, Betty? I can show you my Moby-“

     “ _ Nope! _ ” Jughead said loudly before Sweet Pea could finish his sentence. “No Moby Dick jokes.”

     “You’re so lame, Jones.”

     She gave a nervous laugh, then asked if anyone wanted something to drink. He wasn’t surprised to see her assume the role of cheerful host, as she was her mother’s daughter after all. After serving them lemonade, she went into the pantry to find some snacks to offer. 

     He followed her in, coming up behind her to whisper in her ear, “You okay?”

     “Yeah! I’m fine,” she told him.

     “I’m sorry in advance for anything they say to you.”

     “Seriously, Jug, don’t worry about it,” she said as she rummaged through the shelves. “Here, bring out these chips, I think we have salsa in the fridge.”

     “Your house is so clean,” Fangs said as he walked around the kitchen. 

     “Not that hard when you can afford a housekeeper,” Toni said under her breath, but obviously intending for everyone to hear it.

     “ _ Do  _ you have a housekeeper?” Fangs asked Betty. 

     “Yeah, we have a lady who comes a few times a week,” Betty answered.

     Toni gave a laugh. “Must be nice.”

     “ _ Toni _ ,” he said warningly. 

     “What?” She said, feigning innocence. “I’m just saying it would be nice.”

     “Hey, Joaquin’s party was amazing, by the way,” Sweet Pea said, changing the subject. “Thanks for asking.”

     Jughead let out a breath. “Please, Pea, tell me about Joaquin’s birthday party.”

     “Okay, so Mustang let us have the party in his basement, which you know is always-“

     “Disgusting?” Jughead finished for him.

     “I was going to say  _ fun. _ ” 

     “It does have a funky smell,” Fangs commented.

     “Okay, you guys are so lame.” Sweet Pea continued, “Anyway, we had beer pong going and Sting and Donny totally shut out these two girls from Centerville. We told them that the rule is when girls lose without making any cups, they have to flash us-“

     “Which is total bullshit,” Toni interrupted. “I would like to make it known that I was up in the kitchen with Fangs while all of this was happening, or else I would have intervened. Go on,” she said, gesturing for Sweet Pea to continue. 

     “The rules are the rules, Topaz,” he told her. 

     “And what, exactly, are the consequences for guys who get shut out?” She asked.

     “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen a guy get shut out. Am I right, Jones?” He said, turning to him with his hand up for a high five, which went ignored.

     “You got shut out at the warehouse party two weeks ago, Sweet Pea,” Fangs reminded him.

     Jughead looked over at Betty, but couldn’t read her expression. He wondered if she’d still even be interested in him after tonight.  _ I swear I’m not an asshole like him,  _ he thought at her. 

     “I was having an off night, okay?” Sweet Pea said defensively. “Anyway, so we all start chanting, ‘Show your tits! Show your tits!’”

     “You guys are absolutely vile,” Toni interjected. 

     “Seriously, what is wrong with you? See, this is why I hate going to parties,” Jughead said, genuinely feeling disgusted and embarrassed that he was associated with these people.

     “Okay, you guys are seriously the worst. We were just having  _ fun _ , okay? Anyway, it turns out one of the girls had a boyfriend who showed up in the middle of all this. He started arguing and him and his friend started fighting with Sting and Donny. Obviously, they didn’t stand a chance with all of us there. They both ended up needing stitches, but I think they’re going to be okay. It was  _ awesome. _ ”

     “How is any of that awesome?” Jughead asked. “Honestly, what is awesome about that?” He usually just rolled his eyes and ignored Sweet Pea’s idiocy. But with Betty there, he just felt like he had to call him out. He didn’t want her to think he was like him or approved of what he was saying. 

     “Dude, what is up with you? You think you’re too good for us now that you’re a Northsider? Or are you just  _ pretending  _ that you’re better than us in front of the pretty blonde girl?” 

     As he was trying to formulate his response, Toni chimed in. “He’s right, Sweets. You’re an idiot for finding that shit entertaining. You guys are a bunch of assholes.” She turned to Betty and said, “Please don’t think we’re all like him.”

     “Oh, it’s okay,” Betty said with a signature Cooper fake smile. “I don’t… I’m not  _ judging  _ anyone or anything.”

     “Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself, Betty?” Toni asked, leaning in towards her. “Do you always wear cute dresses and spend your time doing homework and drinking lemonade?”

     “Oh, well, I actually revived the Blue and Gold, our school newspaper. Jug told me that you guys got the Red and Black up and running at Southside.”

     “Oh, did  _ Jug  _ tell you that? Well, don’t you two just have so much in common?” She looked between the two of them meaningfully. He knew she was probably annoyed that he was getting along with Betty. It didn’t take a psychologist to figure out that she wasn’t happy about him moving away from the Southside and possibly drifting away from their friends. 

     “Oh, I mean yeah, I guess,” Betty said noncommittally. She had clearly picked up on Toni’s salty attitude and seemed unsure of how to respond.

     “So, does your mom just write all of your articles for you, or…?” 

     “ _ Toni _ ,” Jughead said, trying to get her to cut it out. 

     “What? I’m just saying, it must be easy to run the school paper when she has her mom to help her with everything. We actually had to build our paper from the ground up.”

     “I’ve actually never asked my mom to help with the paper. The Register keeps her really busy, so no, she’s never written anything or edited or done anything for the Blue and Gold,” Betty responded. She had a clipped tone that sounded eerily like Alice.

     “You Northsiders are all the same,” Toni said with malice. “You are so oblivious to how  _ privileged  _ you are. Even if she’s never written anything for you, has she given you advice on how to run the paper? Does she talk to you about it over your home cooked dinner? Does she answer your questions about-“ 

     “ _ Toni!  _ Why are you giving her a hard time about this? She said her mom doesn’t help with the paper! Why are you grilling her over it?” Jughead could feel himself starting to lose his cool.

     “Because it’s not the same!” she retorted, slamming her hand on the table. “We worked  _ so  _ hard to get the Red and Black up and running. There were so many roadblocks, we had no support from administration, no funding or resources. And for her to just sit there and act like it was just as challenging for her-“

     “She never said it was the same for her! All she said was that she revived her school paper and her mom wasn’t involved! Would you stop antagonizing her for no reason?”

     “Why are you defending her? I thought you hated Northsiders? I thought that living here was your worst nightmare? I thought your step-sister was a privileged, stuck up bitch!” Toni spat. She rose from her chair to stand facing him where he was leaned against the kitchen island.

     “I  _ never  _ said that,” he said quickly, his eyes darting to Betty. She looked mildly shocked at the scene unfolding before her. “I may have said some…  _ things  _ before I moved here and met her. But, I’ve never said anything like that about her since then and you know it.”

     “So, what? You  _ like  _ her?” she asked, gesturing to Betty. “The sweet little girl next door whose biggest challenge in life was the bad haircut she got in sixth grade?”

     “You don’t know me,” Betty said quietly, but with an edge. She stood up and her eyes flashed with something he hadn’t seen before. “You don’t know anything about me.”

     “Okay, Princess Betty, please tell me how I’m wrong,” she challenged, crossing her arms. “I don’t know anything about you? Go ahead and tell me. What great hardships have you had to endure here in your Northside palace?”

     “That’s enough, Topaz.” He said in his most threatening tone. “She’s right. You don’t know her. And you’re completely out of line right now.”

     “This is  _ bullshit, _ ” she said, storming out of the room. “If you like the Northside so much, don’t bother coming back!” she called before slamming the door behind her.

     An awkward silence hung in her wake. Fangs was the first to speak. 

     “Well, she’s our ride, so…” 

     “Party at the Wyrm Friday after school starts,” Sweet Pea announced as he stood up to leave. He turned to Betty and said, “You should come and bring some of your hot friends,” then turned back to look at Jughead.  “Marina was asking about you at Joaquin’s party. If you don’t tap that, I will. Also, we’ve got a Ghoulie problem we could use your help dealing with. Swing by this week and I’ll fill you in. Later, Jones.”

     Fangs smiled and waved before following after him. 

     They were once again alone in the kitchen. Neither of them spoke.  _ This is it. I’ve fucked everything up,  _ he thought to himself.  _ That didn’t take long.  _

 

_ ############ _

 

     “Well, Fangs is nice,” Betty said breaking the tension. Her anger had dissipated as his friends left. Toni had been completely awful, but it wasn’t his fault. He had actually stood up to Toni to defend her, which she knew was a really big deal considering his loyalty to his friends. 

     She smiled and he started laughing. Then, she couldn’t help but laugh as well. 

     As their giggles subsided, he slowly walked around the table to where she stood. 

     “I’m  _ so  _ sorry, Betty. The things she said were inexcusable,” he started. 

     “No, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize for her. And she… I mean, it’s not like she could have known. And I am privileged. I’ve never had to worry about where I’m going to live or what I’m going to eat. I go to a good school and I have good friends. Other than... you know the thing with my dad and the aftermath, I’ve had it pretty good.”

     “Betty, please don’t trivialize what happened to you,” he said putting his hands on her shoulders. “The  _ thing _ with your dad isn’t just some minor thing that happens to people. You went through something really traumatic. You don’t have to act like it’s not a big deal.”

     She could feel tears involuntarily fill her eyes as she nodded. He pulled her into a hug and held onto her tight. People so rarely spoke of her father. Her mother pretended it never happened. Her friends never mentioned it, probably afraid of upsetting her. So on the rare occasion that she was actually forced to think about it, it was like the floodgates were thrown open.

     “I’m so sorry I’m always crying on you,” she said into his shirt. I promise this isn’t normal for me.” 

     “You are welcome to cry on me any time you feel the urge. I just hope it’s never my fault.”

     “I couldn’t even imagine such a thing,” she told him.

     “So, my friends didn’t totally scare you away?” He asked, sounding uncharacteristically nervous. 

     “You’re not your friends. I mean, I wouldn’t want people to judge me based on everything Archie and Veronica say. And I understand that they have… reservations about Northsiders.”

     “Betty, what Toni said that I’d said about you, I swear that was before I met you. You have no idea how-“

     “It’s okay, Jug,” she said, cutting him off. “I didn’t really know what to expect from you and your dad either. I won’t hold you to things that you’ve said in the past.”

     “Thank you,” he said with relief, resting his head on hers. Their arms were still wrapped around each other as they spoke. “I really do think my friends will come around to you. I doubt Fangs even has a problem to begin with. Sweet Pea doesn’t really like Northsiders, but is apparently ready to give a free pass for pretty girls. And, I actually think that you and Toni have a lot in common. Once she gets used to me living here and realizes that we’re still going to be friends, she’ll come around.”

     “She is really hot.” Objectively, she was a total babe. She hated how self-conscious it was making her feel and felt compelled to bring it up so that he would (hopefully) dispel her insecurities.

     “You jealous, Cooper?” He asked, sounding delighted. 

     When she didn’t respond, he pulled back to look at her face. “I’ve known her since diapers. I promise you, she does absolutely nothing for me.”

     She nodded. “Okay.”

     “You are the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, Betty.” He sounded so soft and sincere, it made her heart flutter. “I know that sounds like the cheesiest line, but I promise you it’s true. I still can’t believe that I got to kiss you and that there is even a chance that you may want to date some lucky ass future version of me. You should never be jealous of anyone else. Okay?”

     “Not even Marina?” she asked.

     He barked out a laugh. “ _ Definitely  _ not Marina.”

     They were close. Dangerously close. He seemed to have realized it at the same moment she did. He let out a breath and rested his forehead on hers, closing his eyes. His hand came up to her face and he ran his thumb over the apple of her cheek. 

     She put her hand over his. After a moment, she turned it so that she could kiss the back of his hand. She closed her eyes and let her lips linger against his skin. She looked up at him and he was staring at her with pupils blown wide. 

     The energy between them reminded her of the night she’d spent with him. She logically knew that she should remove herself from the situation, because they seemed to be completely unable to resist each other. 

     But, it turns out there was no willpower to be found. 

     She placed his hand on her hip, then wrapped her arms around his neck once more. He immediately responded, pulling her back in and hugging her tightly. She could feel his heart pounding through his shirt, as the bodies pressed together without an inch of space between them. 

     He slowly moved his hands from her sides to her back, moving them up and down, trying to feel as much of her as he could. “ _ Oh, fuck it _ ,” he said under his breath as he finally slid his hands down to her ass and squeezed. She made a quiet, involuntary noise in response and he started backing her up into the refrigerator. He pressed her up against it, putting one of his legs between hers. 

     His lips were touching her ear as he fanned her with his hot breath. She ran her hands up into his hair, knocking his beanie off. She tugged on his hair gently and he gave a desperate sounding, “ _ God, Betty, _ ” into her ear. Their hips rolled into each other and it felt quite obscene. How was she this embarrassingly turned on without even kissing?

     He stopped and and let his forehead fall against the fridge. 

     “I can’t believe I am dry humping you against your refrigerator right now,” he said.

     “These are some desperate times, Juggie,” she responded.

     They both started laughing at the absurdity of their predicament and current activity. 

     He squeezed her hips and pulled back to look at her. She could feel a blush blossom on her cheeks as she bit her lip and looked down.

     He put a finger under her chin to tilt her head back up. He slowly leaned in and kissed her cheek, letting his nose graze her skin as he pulled back. 

     “That okay?” He asked with a gravelly voice.

     She nodded in response, not sure if he was referring to the kiss on her cheek or their previous activity. In that moment, she was pretty okay with either. 

    He cleared his throat. “So, to clarify our rules: kissing on the lips is off limits, but hands and cheeks are fair game?” he asked with a sly grin.

     “Yes, if that’s alright with you,” she told him.

     “Sounds completely reasonable to me,” he agreed. 

     He pulled her hand from behind his neck and held it up in front of him. He brought her palm to his face and leaned in to kiss it. Unlike her sweet, simple kisses, he flicked his tongue against her and deepened the kiss in a way that felt  _ too _ good. He kissed her palm, teasing it with his tongue, as if it were her neck or chest or somewhere much more enticing. It fanned the flames of her desire, once again working her up into a state of wanting. He slowly pulled back and looked up at her. She could only imagine how wrecked she looked as a shit eating grin spread across his face. 

     “You think this is funny, don’t you?” she asked. 

     “This is much more torturous than humorous. But, I may find some satisfaction in ensuring that you’re as worked up as I am,” he admitted. 

     “Well, two can play that game, Jughead Jones.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @bestpillowtalkever
> 
> If you like this fic, you should check out "Revelry," by @CrashHale! It is one of my favorite smutty bughead fics and was definitely a source of inspiration for this story.


End file.
